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TOKYO – Three Chinese naval vessels, including a large guided missile destroyer, were spotted in the Tsushima Strait, north of Japan’s main island of Kyushu, sailing towards the Sea of Japan, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The Renhai-class ship is among China’s largest naval destroyers and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed the ship in waters close to Japan for the first time, the ministry’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The three ships did not enter Japan’s territorial waters or take action to pose a threat to MSDF ships or aircraft, it added.
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The event came after Japan and the United States raised concerns about a controversial Chinese law when the two countries held ministerial security talks in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Chinese law that recently came into effect allows its coast guard ships to fire at ships around the Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan and claimed by Beijing in the East China Sea.
The Defense Ministry is analyzing China’s intentions to send the warships near Japan at this time.
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According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two MSDF ships and a P-3C reconnaissance plane spotted the three Chinese naval vessels at sea about 250 kilometers southwest of the city of Tsushima around 11 a.m. Thursday.
The three ships sailed through the Strait of Tsushima and entered the Sea of Japan.
China deployed its first Renhai-class missile destroyer in January 2020. Equipped with vertical launch missiles, the destroyer is believed to be capable of launching long-range cruise missiles as well as supersonic anti-ship missiles.
Senkaku Islands, Japan, Senkaku, East China Sea, diplomacy, China, diplomacy, Renhai-class, Chinese destroyer, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, overseas, ANC, ANC Top
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