Japan has made a significant move by sending its destroyer, the Sazanami, through the Taiwan Strait for the first time, amidst heightened military activity in the region by China. The ship entered the strait from the East China Sea and successfully completed the passage with naval ships from Australia and New Zealand. This transit comes ahead of planned drills in the disputed South China Sea.
The Japanese government has not officially commented on the reports, and there has been no immediate confirmation from the Ministry of Defence. However, New Zealand’s navy has confirmed that its ship, the HMNZS Aotearoa, also sailed through the strait with HMAS Sydney from the Australian Navy to assert the “right of freedom of navigation.”
This move by Japan comes after recent incidents involving Chinese military activities near Japanese waters, including a Chinese spy plane violating Japanese airspace in late August. Amidst growing concerns about China’s maritime assertions, Japan’s reported Taiwan Strait transit is seen as part of a broader pattern of increased naval presence by countries in the region that are wary of China’s actions.
The United States and its allies routinely send ships through the Taiwan Strait to uphold its status as an international waterway. China, however, claims jurisdiction over the waters and has criticized other countries, such as Germany, for heightening security risks by transiting through the strait.
The Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States has also strengthened joint security measures in Asia’s waters due to shared concerns about China’s military build-up. Japan has expressed serious concern over China’s recent test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.
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