Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday a concerted monitoring effort tracking a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, as it conducted maneuvers in the Western Pacific following its transit near Japanese territorial waters. Since Sunday, December 7, the carrier group has been performing intensive flight operations that prompted the deployment of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels and Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) aircraft for continuous surveillance and intelligence gathering. The observed activity highlights the ongoing strategic presence of the Chinese Navy in international waters adjacent to Japan, underscoring regional security considerations.
Tracking the Liaoning Carrier Group
The carrier, identified as the core of the PLAN formation, executed roughly 40 takeoffs and landings of carrier-borne fighters and helicopters on Monday alone. This intensive operational tempo contributed to an accumulated total of approximately 140 sorties recorded between Friday, December 5, and Monday, December 8.
The JMSDF confirmed the escort formation around the Liaoning included key surface combatants: the Type 052D destroyer Xining, the advanced guided-missile destroyer Type 052DG Kaifeng, and the vital Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship Hulunhu. On Monday, the group was positioned approximately 490 kilometers east of Kitadaitōjima, a remote island in Okinawa Prefecture. The group then proceeded south, moving slightly closer to the island on Tuesday, positioning itself about 450 kilometers to the east.
In direct response to the carrier’s movements and aviation operations, Japan deployed specialized assets. The JMSDF’s 6th Escort Flotilla destroyer Teruzuki was tasked with close surveillance and intelligence collection, while the JASDF scrambled fighter jets to shadow and actively respond to the air wing’s activities.
Independent Naval Transits Through Key Straits
Concurrent with the carrier strike group’s movements, the JMSDF detected two individual PLAN frigates transiting strategically important straits on Tuesday, demonstrating broader operational activity.
- At 11 a.m., the Type 054A frigate Zhoushan was spotted approximately 80 kilometers west of Kuchinoerabu Island. The vessel sailed eastward, successfully transiting the Ōsumi Strait, a key international waterway connecting the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
- By 3 p.m., another Type 054A frigate, the Yiyang, was detected about 130 kilometers northeast of Miyako Island. This ship was heading southeast, passing through the waters situated between Okinawa and Miyako Island, also exiting into the Pacific.
To maintain robust domain awareness during these transits, Japanese Self-Defense Forces dispatched the missile fast attack craft Otaka, alongside sophisticated maritime patrol aircraft, including the P-1 and P-3C models, to monitor and document the warships’ movements.
Implications for Regional Security
The sustained, high-tempo operations of the Liaoning and its escorts, coupled with the independent transits of frigates through international straits near Japanese archipelagic boundaries, signal China’s continuous efforts to project naval power deeper into the Pacific. This routine activity, meticulously cataloged by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, serves as a direct indicator of evolving strategic dynamics in the maritime domain. Japan’s vigilant and proportionate response—deploying advanced surface vessels, fast attack craft, and air assets—reiterates its commitment to maintaining situational awareness and regional stability near its borders. Analysts suggest these deployments are part of a continued military modernization and expansion strategy that necessitates heightened scrutiny from neighboring nations.