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Japan deployed naval and aerial assets to monitor Russian and Chinese warships that sailed close to its waters recently. These ships appeared to be returning from a joint patrol in the West Pacific.
**Why It Matters**
Security coordination between Russia and China has intensified over the past years, as the quasi-allies step up what many analysts believe is a challenge to U.S. military primacy in the region. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, more than half of the 113 joint drills conducted since 2003 have taken place since 2019.
Japanese defense officials are increasingly concerned by these actions, describing them as demonstrations of force and a clear national security threat to Japan under the Mutual Defense Treaty. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Russian Foreign Ministries for comment but received no response.
**Key Information**
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) tracked two Chinese naval vessels—the Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer *Shaoxing* and the Fuchi-class replenishment ship *Qiandaohu*. These ships reportedly passed between Okinawa and Miyako before heading north into the East China Sea.
**Japanese Response**
In response to these sightings, Japan deployed two JMSDF vessels and at least two P-3C maritime patrol aircraft for “warning and surveillance activities” and information gathering. The *Admiral Tributs*, *Qiandaohu*, and *Shaoxing* were among the participants in the “Joint Sea 2025” bilateral naval exercise, held off Vladivostok.
The ships then transited through the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Russia’s Sakhalin Island en route to the open Pacific. The joint patrol covered more than 6,000 nautical miles.
**International Reactions**
While Chinese and Russian officials maintain their activities are legal and not aimed at third parties, Japan, the U.S., and their partners have expressed concerns that the growing coordination is part of an attempt to reshape the region’s security balance. The *Global Times*, a state-backed Chinese tabloid, criticized Japanese media for framing the patrol as an “encirclement” of Japan. Military commentator Fu Qianshao insisted they were intended to protect peace and stability in the Western Pacific and took place in international waters.
**Statements**
– **Japan’s Defense Ministry (2025 white paper)**: “China is further strengthening its cooperation with Russia, including in military activities. It has also conducted joint bomber flights and naval navigations with Russia in the vicinity of Japan. These repeated joint activities are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan and are a grave concern from the perspective of Japanese national security.”
– **Jiang Bin (Defense Ministry spokesperson)**: “The Joint Sea exercise is an institutionalized cooperation program between the Chinese and Russian navies. Since its inception in 2012, the exercise has been held ten times and has become a key platform for China-Russia military cooperation.”
**Future Outlook**
China and Russia are expected to continue conducting war games and joint patrols in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan’s Defense Ministry pledged to “continue to conduct vigilance, surveillance, and information gathering.”
