Japan Ministry of Defense: Chinese Navy Xi'an Ship Group Transits Yokotō Strait
According to information from the Joint Staff Department of Japan's Ministry of Defense on July 7, 2026: Around 4 a.m. on July 7, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force detected the Chinese Navy's Type 052C guided-missile destroyer Xi'an (hull number 153) and Type 054A frigate Anyang (hull number 599), both sailing westward, approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Amami Oshima Island (in Kagoshima Prefecture).
Subsequent confirmation revealed that the aforementioned vessels passed through the waters between Amami Oshima and Yokotō Island (Yokotō Strait) and continued southwestward toward the East China Sea.
Additionally, it was confirmed that the Type 052C guided-missile destroyer (hull number 153) is the same vessel that sailed eastward through the Ōsumi Strait on June 29; meanwhile, the Type 054A frigate (hull number 599) is identical to the one observed sailing southeastward through the area between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island (in Okinawa Prefecture) on June 26.
The Japan Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces deployed P-1 patrol aircraft from the 1st Air Group (based at Kadena Air Base) and P-3C patrol aircraft from the 5th Air Group (based at Naha Air Base) for surveillance, monitoring, and intelligence gathering.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870049713583498/
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