Russian and Chinese warships are operating in the waters around Japan as part of a joint drill, as the People’s Liberation Army Navy Liaoning Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Philippine Sea, US Naval Institute News reports.
In other developments, Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced that a Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) violated Japan’s territorial airspace three times on Monday, with intercepting Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) fighter aircraft releasing flares to warn the Russian aircraft, according to Japanese officials.
On Sunday, PLAN cruiser CNS Wuxi (104), destroyer CNS Xining (117), frigate CNS Linyi (547) and fleet oiler CNS Taihu (889), together with Russian Navy destroyers RFS Admiral Panteleyev (548) and RFS Admiral Tributs (564) and corvettes RFS MPK-107 (332) and RFS MPK-82 (375) were sighted sailing northeast in an area 186 miles west of Okushiri Island, which lies 12 miles west of the main island of Hokkaido. Subsequently on Monday, the joint fleet sailed east through La Perouse Strait, which lies between Hokkaido and Russia’s Sakhalin Island, to enter the Sea of Okhotsk.
The release added that on Sunday, PLAN Dongdiao-class surveillance ship Tianlangxing (794) was sighted sailing east in an area 37 miles northwest of Rebun Island, which lies 31 miles west of the northwest coast of Hokkaido. From Sunday to Monday, the PLAN surveillance ship sailed east through La Perouse Strait, according to the release.
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyers JS Yugiri (DD-153) and JS Hamagiri (DD-155), fast-attack craft JS Kumataka (PG-827) and JMSDF P-3C Orions MPA of Fleet Air Wing 2 based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base on the main island of Honshu shadowed the Russian Navy and PLAN ships, according to the release.
The joint Russian-Chinese fleet are carrying out the second phase of the Northern Joint 2024 exercise, which began on Saturday with the ships of the two navies departing Vladivostok on that day. During the first phase, the PLAN ships participated in the Russian Navy’s Ocean 2024 fleet drills held from Sept. 10-16, with the PLAN ships then docking into Vladivostok on Sept. 18 for a port visit.
In an earlier release on Friday, the Japan Joint Staff Office (JSO) stated that the JMSDF has confirmed PLAN aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning (16) and CNS Huainan (123) had been sailing in the Philippine Sea from Wednesday to Friday and that Liaoning carried out flight operations with its embarked fighter aircraft and helicopters at 5 p.m. on Friday, when it was 845 miles southeast of Miyako Island. A map showing the location of Liaoning and Huainan places the PLAN ships a distance east of the southern tip of the Philippine main island of Luzon. The release also stated that destroyer JS Asahi (DD-119) shadowed the PLAN CSG.
Earlier on Thursday, Chinese state media Xinhua reported that Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Snr. Col Zhang Xiaogang said Liaoning’s training in the western Pacific complied with international law and common practice, and there was no need to overinterpret the exercise, adding that it was a routine training exercise as part of the annual plan, aimed at enhancing the navy’s combat capabilities.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Monday issued a release stating that on that day, a Russian IL-38 MPA on three occasions violated Japan’s territorial waters, which lay north of Rebun Island, with the first instance occurring from 1:03 p.m. to 1:04 p.m., the second at around 3:31 p.m. and the third from 3:42 p.m. to 3:43 p.m. The release stated that fighters from the JASDF Northern Air District were scrambled and notifications and warnings were issued to the Russian aircraft.
In a press conference on Monday, Japan Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan had scrambled F-15 and F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft and the JASDF planes discharged flares after the Russian aircraft appeared to have ignored the warnings issued. The release of flares was the first time Japan had carried out such an action. Kihara also stated that Japan had protested to Russia through diplomatic channels and urged Russia to prevent reoccurrence of such violations.
