Chinese Warships Made Around-Japan Cruise

compiled from Yomiuri Shimbun, 28 December 2014

Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced today that four ships belonging to Chinese Navy cruised from the Tsushima Strait to the East China Sea.

None of these ships violated the territorial sea of Japan. These ships went to the Pacific Ocean by passing the Osumi Strait down south of Kyushu on December 4, then went into the Soya Strait in the north on December 25, circling around Japan and the Ministry has been watching the movement of the ships.

Joint Staff of the Ministry confirmed that four ships consisting of destroyers, frigate and supply ship passed through the Tsushima Strait after completing replenishment exercise in the Pacific Ocean.  Previously, Chinese navy did navigate around Japan in July 2013 for the first time.

Japan is carefully examining the implications of these Chinese naval movements.