China and Russia Stage Live‑Fire Naval Drill in Waters Japan Calls Its EEZ – Tokyo Files Protest

On Sunday, a Chinese guided‑missile destroyer, another Chinese destroyer, a replenishment ship and a Russian frigate rolled into waters that Tokyo insists are part of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off Okinotori, the southernmost point of Japan’s archipelago. The quartet didn’t just cruise by – they actually opened fire in a live‑fire exercise.

Japan’s Defence Ministry said its radar first picked up the four‑ship formation about 330 km southwest of Okinotori. The vessels then turned northeast, moving deeper into the area Japan claims as its EEZ. According to officials, nearby Japanese ships were warned over the radio just before the Chinese destroyer began firing. It was, officials noted, the first time they had publicly disclosed a live‑fire drill by a Chinese warship inside the contested zone.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara quickly lodged a formal protest through diplomatic channels, arguing the drill “could have endangered the navigation of nearby vessels.” He added that the episode underscored a growing trend of China and Russia tightening military cooperation around Japan’s waters.

Beijing, unsurprisingly, brushed the complaint aside. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called the Japanese allegations “completely groundless,” insisting the activities were lawful and conducted in accordance with international law. Lin also reiterated China’s long‑standing stance that Okinotori is merely a reef, not an island, and therefore does not generate a 200‑nautical‑mile EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Tokyo, by contrast, maintains that Okinotori qualifies as an island, giving it rights over the surrounding sea.

The drill follows a spate of joint Sino‑Russian military activities near Japan. Just weeks earlier, their air forces carried out coordinated bomber patrols over the same region, and their navies have been holding regular exercises. Japanese forces have stepped up surveillance, deploying both the Maritime Self‑Defense Force and the Air Self‑Defense Force to keep a close eye on the movements.

All this comes against a backdrop of simmering tensions over Taiwan and the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, as well as recent coast‑guard face‑offs near the disputed East China Sea islets. Even political rhetoric has heated up; Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted last November that Japan might consider a military response if Taiwan were attacked, a suggestion that drew sharp criticism from Beijing.

In short, the Okinotori incident marks a new low in transparency – the first time Japan has openly reported a Chinese live‑fire drill within its claimed EEZ – and it highlights the strategic rivalry that’s sharpening around the Japanese archipelago.