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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Japan spots Chinese navy's show of force in west Pacific amid maritime row
China 's Liaoning aircraft carrier has for the first time ventured into the easternmost edge of Japan 's exclusive economic zone, in what is seen as a show of force aimed at Tokyo, Washington and the broader region. The Liaoning – Beijing's first aircraft carrier – and at least three accompanying warships were spotted on Saturday around 300km southwest of Minamitori, a remote Japanese island in the western Pacific, which serves as a bulwark for Tokyo to assert its maritime claims. The group, which includes two guided-missile destroyers and a fast combat support ship, appeared to be conducting air operations, with fighter jets and helicopters landing on and taking off from the carrier on Sunday, national broadcaster NHK reported. Analysts believe the fleet may have been accompanied by a Chinese submarine. The manoeuvres mark the first known operation by a Chinese carrier group in a zone long considered a vital part of Japan's defence boundaries and a key buffer between China and US military outposts, such as those in Guam and Hawaii. Analysts suggest the fleet is showing its capabilities and reach in a new area targeted at Beijing's rivals. 'Just a few years ago, China would not have put a naval group into the Pacific, so it is now showing that it is willing and able to do just that,' said Masayuki Masuda, director of Chinese studies at the National Institute of Defence Studies in Tokyo.
South China Morning Post
05-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Japan rebuts criticism of its response to Myanmar earthquake rescue
Japan is pushing back against criticism over the timing of its earthquake relief response in Myanmar after an emergency team set out from Tokyo and arrived days after its counterparts from China and Russia – beyond what is generally viewed as the critical 72-hour window for rescuing survivors. Advertisement The 32-member disaster relief unit – comprising doctors, nurses and pharmacists – left the Japanese capital on Tuesday evening and arrived in Myanmar the next day. The mission came nearly five days after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that devastated central Myanmar, killing more than 3,100 people, injuring 4,000 and leaving several hundred missing. An April 3 editorial in the conservative Sankei newspaper was headlined 'Speed up aid to Myanmar,' while a report in the equally right-leaning Yomiuri the same day stated that Japan 'is playing catchup with Chinese, Russian aid.' An official with the National Institute of Defence Studies, which is affiliated with Japan's defence ministry, said the delay was partly due to Tokyo's more complex decision-making process and limited diplomatic clout compared with Beijing and Moscow. Advertisement 'Compared with Japan, Russia and China have much closer contact and ties with Myanmar, so it was much easier for those countries to send help at short notice,' said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
