Russian and Chinese Navy Ships Enter East China Sea

Japan has been closely monitoring Russian and Chinese naval vessels this week as they navigated strategic East Asian waterways.

A map created by Newsweek using data released Thursday by the Japan Joint Staff illustrates the movements of these ships along the belt of islands and archipelagoes known as the “First Island Chain.”

The Chinese warships are shown to have transited the narrow strip of water between Taiwan’s east coast from nearby Japanese islands, while the Russian vessel traversed the Tsushima Strait separating Japan from the Korean Peninsula.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the country’s de facto navy, said that around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, one of its patrols spotted the Russian Vishnya-class intelligence-gathering ship Kareliya (hull No. 535) about 56 miles northeast of Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture as it followed a southwestern route.

The Russian Pacific Fleet vessel reportedly continued southwest as it passed through the strategically important Tsushima Strait. Later, on Wednesday or Thursday, it entered the East China Sea.

According to the report, Kareliya had also been observed on Sunday sailing westward from waters off western Yamagata Prefecture to an area north of Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture.

Newsweek reached out to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Defense, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with written requests for comment.

Japan also tracked a pair of Chinese warships this week as they plied waters between Taiwan and Japan’s outlying Okinawa Prefecture.

Top to bottom: the Russian intelligence ship Kareliya, the Chinese frigate Changzhou and the Chinese destroyer Changchun are seen in photographed captured by Japan Air Self-Defense Force crews on March 27-28 in the Western Pacific. Japan Joint Staff

From Monday to Wednesday, the Luyang II-class guided-missile destroyer Changchun (hull No. 150) and the Jiangkai II-class frigate Changzhou (hull No. 549) followed a course taking them from 90 miles south of Okinawa’s Miyako Island to 105 miles south of Ishigaki Island.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the People’s Liberation Army Navy ships sailed between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island. They continued northward and soon came within 50 miles of Uotsuri Island.

Uotsuri is the largest of the collection of rocks and islets that comprise the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands. China claims the Senkakus, which it calls the Diaoyu Islands, as its rightful territory and has been challenging Japan’s administration of them by deploying its coast guard into the area on a near-daily basis.

The JMSDF said it had previously observed both Changchun and Changzhou operating in the waters of Kagoshima Prefecture, at the tip of Japan’s southwestern-most main island, Kyushu, on Saturday.

The Abukuma-class destroyer escort JS Tone, from the JMDSF’s 12th Escort Squadron, kept tabs on Russian and Japanese vessels throughout this period.

Update 3/29/24, 10:10 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.

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