10 Chinese warships pass near Okinawa

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2010/04/14

Ten Chinese navy warships, including two submarines, passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyakojima island Saturday while heading from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Japan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The vessels continued training exercises Tuesday, Japanese officials said. Chinese warships have previously moved through the same waters, but rarely has a fleet as large as 10 vessels done so. The area is open sea.

Photo: A submarine, which Japan says belongs to the Chinese navy, navigates in the high seas about 140 km (87 miles) southwest of Okinawa, southern Japan April 10, 2010. Japan said on Tuesday it would investigate the sighting of several Chinese submarines and warships last week in the high seas near the southern island of Okinawa, where U.S. bases are concentrated in Japan. Picture taken April 10, 2010.

Under international law, training in open seas or passing through international waters presents no problem.

But Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said, "This is an unprecedented case."

According to Joint Staff officials of the Self-Defense Forces, the Maritime SDF confirmed 10 Chinese warships had passed about 140 kilometers west-southwest of Okinawa's main island and were heading southeast at around 8 p.m. Saturday.

The group included two diesel-electric Improved Kilo-class submarines and two missile-loaded destroyers.