Japan vigilant after China's sea maneuvers off easternmost island

The Mainichi

6 hours ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government said Monday that it will continue to closely monitor China's growing maritime activity and step up surveillance after a Chinese aircraft carrier was spotted for the first time near a remote Pacific island on Japan's easternmost edge.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that China apparently intends to "enhance its capability to carry out missions at sea and in the skies farther away" from its shores.
The Liaoning aircraft carrier was observed beyond what is known as the second island chain stretching from Japan's Izu Islands to Guam, a Japanese government official said. China considers the chain its defense line.
The aircraft carrier, along with two destroyers and another vessel, was seen in waters about 300 kilometers southwest of Minamitori Island, which is approximately 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo, at around 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The area lies within Japan's exclusive economic zone.
The Liaoning then moved southwest and conducted landing and takeoff drills with its fighter jets and helicopters on Sunday outside the EEZ.
"We will do our utmost to perform our warning and surveillance duties at sea and in the air," Hayashi, the top government spokesman, said, adding Japan has conveyed its position to China regarding the latest development.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian defended the aircraft carrier's activities, saying at a press conference Monday that they are "fully consistent with international law and international practices."
Lin said China pursues a national policy that is "defensive in nature," expressing hope that Japan will view its activities "objectively and rationally."
Commissioned in 2012 as China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning is a refurbished Soviet-made vessel purchased from Ukraine in the late 1990s and features a "ski-jump" takeoff ramp.