{"id":1259,"date":"2026-07-21T14:20:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:20:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:20:59","slug":"japan-raises-safety-concern-over-chinese-destroyers-live-fire-drills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1259","title":{"rendered":"Japan raises safety concern over Chinese destroyer\u2019s live-fire drills"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TOKYO \u2014 Japan expressed concern after a Chinese navy destroyer conducted live-fire drills off a remote Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday during its joint exercise with Russia, officials said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The Chinese Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer conducted a live-fire exercise off Japan\u2019s southernmost island of Okinotori, hours after the Japanese navy spotted it operating alongside two other Chinese warships and a Russian frigate, the Japanese Joint Staff said.<\/p>\n

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters Tuesday that his government conveyed concerns that the live-fire drills posed a potential safety threat to nearby vessels. He noted that ships near the area received a notice from the Chinese warships just before the drills started.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Kihara said.<\/p>\n

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\n Japan\u2019s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Keisuke Hosojima\/Kyodo News via AP, File)
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\n Japan\u2019s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara \u2026
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Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, in a speech Monday in Britain, said the action underscored \u201cthe deepening military cooperation between China and Russia,\u201d as he also noted China\u2019s ballistic missile launch from a submarine earlier this month, and at least 10 joint flights conducted by Chinese and Russian bombers around Japan.<\/p>\n

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused Japan of playing up external threats to justify its military buildup. \u201cJapan\u2019s so-called concern is actually groundless, and China has firmly refuted it,\u201d he said at a regular briefing in Beijing.<\/p>\n

Japan has been alarmed by China\u2019s rapid expansion of operations in the Pacific, especially since two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted last year almost simultaneously operating near another southern Japanese island, Iwo Jima, for the first time, fueling Tokyo\u2019s concern about Beijing\u2019s military activity far beyond its borders.<\/p>\n