Japan expressed serious safety concerns after a Chinese navy destroyer carried out live-fire drills near Okinotori Island, its southernmost territory, on July 19, 2026. The exercise was conducted in coordination with Russian naval vessels, marking the first time Tokyo publicly disclosed such activity within its claimed Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to Japan’s Joint Staff, the Chinese Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer fired live rounds about 180 kilometers southwest of Okinotori, shortly after being spotted alongside two other Chinese warships and a Russian frigate. Nearby vessels received a warning notice just before the drills began.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that the government had conveyed its concerns to Beijing, stressing that the drills posed a potential safety threat to navigation. “We will continue to watch China-Russia operations around Japan with concern, while doing utmost for the warning and surveillance of the Japanese airspace and territorial waters,” Kihara said.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, speaking in Britain, highlighted the incident as evidence of deepening military cooperation between China and Russia. He also noted China’s recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test and multiple joint bomber flights around Japan.
China rejected Japan’s protest, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian calling Tokyo’s concerns “completely unreasonable.” Beijing maintains that Okinotori is a reef, not an island, and therefore Japan cannot claim the surrounding waters as part of its EEZ. “China’s activities on the high seas are in line with international law and practices,” Lin said.
Japan has grown increasingly alarmed by China’s expanding military presence in the Pacific. Last year, two Chinese aircraft carriers operated simultaneously near Iwo Jima, raising fears in Tokyo of Beijing’s “salami-slicing strategy” to incrementally expand control without triggering direct conflict.
Former Vice-Defense Minister Masahisa Sato described the drills as part of China’s incremental approach to assert dominance in contested waters. He urged Japan to strengthen its Pacific defenses in response to the growing China-Russia military partnership.
