Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a media statement that eight Chinese Navy ships, including an aircraft carrier, crossed between the islands of Okinawa in southern Japan on Monday.
The ministry added that the ships, including several destroyers, were cruising between the main island of Okinawa and Miyakojima. Chinese ships did not penetrate Japanese territorial waters. The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
The US Seventh Fleet, part of the US Navy in the Pacific, did not respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it would monitor the movements of the aircraft carrier and its escort group, calling the situation “normal.”
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that a Chinese aircraft carrier had been confirmed in the region for the first time since December last year.
