Latest news with #ChineseAircraftCarriers
NHK
2 days ago
- General
- NHK
Japan publishes routes of Chinese aircraft carriers operating around country
Japan's Defense Ministry has published the routes taken by two Chinese aircraft carriers that have been navigating in waters around the country last month to this month. The ministry released the details on the ships' prolonged activities on Tuesday. It is quite rare for the ministry to disclose the movements of foreign warships. The release came after the carriers Liaoning and Shandong were first spotted at the same time in the Pacific earlier this month. The ministry said fighter jets from the Shandong flew extremely close to a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense patrol plane on June 7 and 8. It expressed serious concerns over the incident. The ministry said the Liaoning passed between Okinawa Prefecture's main island and Miyakojima Island in late May and traveled southward to a position east of the Philippines. The aircraft carrier then changed course to the northeast and entered Japan's exclusive economic zone on June 7 near Minamitorishima, the nation's easternmost island. The Liaoning moved on, turning westward. On Monday, it was spotted navigating in waters southwest of Okinotorishima Island. During this period, fighter jets and helicopters from the carrier were reportedly seen taking and landing around 550 times. Regarding the Shandong, the ministry said that the vessel was heading eastward in waters southeast of Miyakojima Island on June 7. It then sailed clockwise within or around Japan's EEZ near Okinotorishima Island. On Monday, the ship was spotted moving westward southeast of Miyakojima Island. In that time frame, a total of around 230 take-offs and landings of carrier-based aircraft were reportedly confirmed. As of Tuesday, the two Chinese vessels were in the Pacific sailing toward China. The Defense Ministry is cautiously monitoring the situation.
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan suspects Chinese aircraft carriers conducted drills against U.S.
The Defense Ministry believes Chinese aircraft carriers recently found operating in the Pacific may have conducted drills for countering U.S. forces in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The ministry last week announced for the first time that it had spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers operating simultaneously in Pacific waters near Japan. The vessels sailed within Japan's exclusive economic zone near remote islands that are part of the Ogasawara chain. There were also incidents in which a Chinese fighter jet based on one of the flattops flew dangerously close to a Maritime Self-Defense Force plane. The ministry is analyzing China's intentions behind these operations, sources said. Of the Chinese aircraft carriers, the Liaoning crossed for the first time what is called the second island chain, which links the Ogasawara Islands and the U.S. territory of Guam, sailing within the EEZ around Minamitori Island on June 7. China is said to regard the second island chain as a defense line to keep at bay U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines coming from Guam and elsewhere in the event of a Taiwan contingency. According to ministry sources, the Liaoning and the other flattop, Shandong, may have conducted exercises for countering U.S. forces in the event of a Taiwan contingency, with one playing the role of a U.S. aircraft carrier and the other practicing intercepting it. Regarding the close encounters between the Japanese and Chinese planes, some observers say China may have made the moves because it did not want Japanese aircraft to approach the air defense zone established by the carrier fleet. The Shandong operated in the EEZ around Okinotorishima island on June 9, with the departures and arrivals of carrier-based aircraft confirmed. In the EEZ around Okinotorishima, a Chinese marine research ship operated without Japan's consent in late May. Although the Japanese government protested, China maintained its position of not recognizing the EEZ, saying that Okinotorishima is not an island but rocks. "It is necessary to examine whether there is any connection between the marine research ship and the Chinese military behavior in the EEZ," a ruling party member said. The sea area around Minamitori where the Liaoning sailed is believed to hold significant seabed resources. According to the International Seabed Authority, China plans to test-mine for manganese nodules, which contain minor metals, from the seabed in international waters outside Japan's EEZ around Minamitori under exploration rights granted by the ISA. "We will take all possible measures for warning and surveillance and deter any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference Friday. "We will proceed with a detailed analysis" of the latest movements of Chinese aircraft carriers, he added.
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Japan and China trade blame over Chinese fighter jets flying close to Japanese planes
TOKYO — Japan and China blamed each other on Thursday after Tokyo raised concern that a Chinese fighter jet came dangerously close to Japanese reconnaissance planes. The Chinese fighter jets took off from one of two Chinese aircraft carriers that were operating together for the first time in the Pacific, Japan's Defense Ministry said.
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Why 2 Chinese aircraft carriers are operating in the Pacific together for the first time
TOKYO — Japan this week confirmed that two Chinese aircraft carriers have operated together for the first time in the Pacific, fueling Tokyo's concern about Beijing's rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders. Aircraft carriers are critical to projecting power at a distance. China routinely sends coast guard vessels, warships and warplanes to areas around the disputed East China Sea islands , but now it is going as far as what's called the second-island chain that includes Guam — a U.S. territory. A single Chinese carrier has ventured into the Pacific in the past, but never east of that chain until now. Here's what to know about the latest moves by China, which has the world's largest navy numerically. Japan's Defense Ministry said the two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, were seen separately but almost simultaneously operating near southern islands in the Pacific for the first time. Both operated in waters off Iwo Jima , about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Tokyo, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Monday. The Liaoning also sailed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone of Minamitorishima, the country's easternmost island. There was no violation of Japanese territorial waters. Still, Nakatani said Japan has expressed 'concern' to the Chinese embassy. Both carriers had warplanes take off and land. Late Wednesday, Japan's Defense Ministry said a Chinese J-15 fighter jet that took off from the Shandong on Saturday chased a Japanese P-3C aircraft on reconnaissance duty in the area and came within an 'abnormally close distance' of 45 meters (50 yards). The Chinese jet on Sunday crossed 900 meters (980 yards) in front of the Japanese P-3C, the ministry said, adding it has strongly requested China to take measures to prevent such an 'abnormal approach' that could cause accidental collisions. China's military buildup and expanding area of activity have raised tensions in the region. The Chinese carriers sailed past the first-island chain , the Pacific archipelago off the Asian mainland that includes Japan, Taiwan and part of the Philippines. The Liaoning reached farther to the second-island chain, a strategic line extending to Guam, showing China also can challenge Japan's ally, the United States. 'China apparently aims to elevate its capability of the two aircraft carriers, and to advance its operational capability of the distant sea and airspace,' Nakatani said. The defense minister vowed to further strengthen Japan's air defense on remote islands. Japan has been accelerating its military buildup especially since 2022, including counter-strike capability, with long-range cruise missiles as deterrence to China. China's navy on Tuesday confirmed the deployments, calling it part of routine training in the western Pacific 'to test their capabilities in far seas protection and joint operations.' It said the deployment was in compliance with international laws and not targeted at any country. China is pursuing a vast military modernization program including ambitions of a true 'blue-water' naval force capable of operating at long ranges for extended periods. Beijing has the world's largest navy numerically but lags far behind the United States in its number of aircraft carriers. China has three, the U.S. 11. Washington's numerical advantage allows it to keep a carrier, currently the USS George Washington , permanently forward-deployed to Japan. The Pentagon has expressed concern over Beijing's focus on building new carriers. Its latest report to Congress on Chinese defense developments noted that it 'extends air defense coverage of deployed task groups beyond the range of land-based defenses, enabling operations farther from China's shore.' The two Chinese carriers currently in the western Pacific employ the older 'ski-jump' launch method for aircraft, with a ramp at the end of a short runway to assist planes taking off. China's first carrier, the Liaoning, was a repurposed Soviet ship. The second, the Shandong, was built in China along the Soviet design. Its third carrier, the Fujian, launched in 2022 and is undergoing final sea trials. It is expected to be operational later this year. It is locally designed and built and employs a more modern, electromagnetic-type launch system like those developed and used by the U.S. All three ships are conventionally powered, while all the U.S. carriers are nuclear powered, giving them the ability to operate at much greater range and more power to run advanced systems. Satellite imagery provided to The Associated Press last year indicated China is working on a nuclear propulsion system for its carriers. In August, a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft violated Japan's airspace off the southern prefecture of Nagasaki, and a Chinese survey ship violated Japanese territorial waters off another southern prefecture, Kagoshima. In September, the Liaoning and two destroyers sailed between Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni — just east of Taiwan — and nearby Iriomote, entering an area just outside Japan's territorial waters where the country has some control over maritime traffic. China routinely sends coast guard vessels and aircraft into waters and airspace surrounding the Japanese-controlled, disputed East China Sea islands to harass Japanese vessels in the area, forcing Japan to scramble jets. Tokyo also worries about China's increased joint military activities with Russia, including joint operations of warplanes or warships around northern and southwestern Japan in recent years. ___ Rising reported from Bangkok.
CNA
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Chinese carriers in Pacific show country's 'expansionist' aims, Taiwan says
TAIPEI: The two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time send a political message about the country's "expansionist" aims, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday (Jun 11). Japan's defence minister said the previous day that the appearance of the Chinese aircraft carriers signified Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders. Koo said the armed forces had a "full grasp" of the carriers' movements. "Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen," he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to an area that runs from Japan down to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, while the second island chain spreads further out into the Pacific to include places like the US territory of Guam. China's navy, which has been honing its abilities to operate further and further from the country's coast, said on Tuesday the carrier operations were a "routine training" exercise that did not target specific countries or regions. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, keeps a close watch on Chinese military movements given the regular drills and war games Beijing stages around the island. Since May, China has been flexing its muscles by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals. Japan's defence ministry confirmed the two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were operating in separate areas in the Pacific on Saturday, both near remote southern islands belonging to Japan.
