Two Chinese Navy ships were spotted navigating through the Tsugaru Strait toward the Pacific Ocean, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
Meanwhile, seven Russian Navy vessels, including a destroyer, are deployed in the Pacific Ocean, and might be conducting joint training exercises with the Chinese vessels, one of which was an intelligence-gathering ship.
According to the ministry, the two Chinese vessels were spotted in waters about 130 kilometers southwest of Cape Tappi in Aomori Prefecture at around 9 a.m. on Thursday. The seven Russian warships were sighted in waters about 180 kilometers southeast of Cape Inubo in Chiba Prefecture. None of the vessels trespassed into Japan's territorial waters.
