Japan voices concern over China-Russia live-fire naval drills in its EEZ

China and Russia held joint live-fire naval drills within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over the weekend, drawing a diplomatic expression of concern from Tokyo, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Monday (July 20).

Speaking during a keynote address at the Farnborough International Airshow in southern England, Koizumi said recent military activities by Beijing and Moscow underscored growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, Caliber.Az reports, citing Japanese media. 

A Chinese navy guided-missile destroyer carried out a machine-gun firing drill on Sunday within Japan's EEZ in the Pacific, about 180 km southwest of Okinotori, Japan's southernmost island, according to Japan's Defence Ministry.

The ministry said the destroyer was part of a group comprising three Chinese warships and a Russian frigate, which had earlier sailed through waters between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island into the Pacific.

It marked the first time Japan's Defence Ministry had detected and publicly disclosed a live-fire exercise by the Chinese military within the country's EEZ. No damage to nearby vessels was reported.

Tokyo said it had communicated its concern to Beijing through diplomatic channels, saying live-fire drills could endanger vessels navigating in nearby waters, according to the Defence Ministry.

Referring to the latest exercise and other recent military activity, including a Chinese submarine-launched ballistic missile test earlier this month, Koizumi said: "Each of these is yet another manifestation of the deepening military cooperation between China and Russia."

He added that "The security of the Indo-Pacific region is inseparable from that of Atlantic Europe," and said Japan sees itself as playing a role in linking the two regions.

Koizumi also announced that Japan will formulate a Defence Production and Technology Base Strategy to guide the country's defence industry over the medium to long term as the government prepares to revise its national security policy documents by the end of the year.

He said Japan would ensure sufficient production capacity to supply defence equipment during a prolonged contingency and highlighted recent changes to the country's weapons export policy, which now allow, in principle, the transfer of all categories of defence equipment, including fighter aircraft and destroyers.

"Defense industry can no longer be completed by one country alone," Koizumi said, adding that it is essential for Japan to work with European partners with "exquisite technologies" to "bring together each other's strengths" and build resilient supply chains.

The minister attended the Farnborough airshow as Japan, Britain and Italy continue to develop a next-generation fighter aircraft under the Global Combat Air Programme.

By Aghakazim Guliyev