【Japan Ministry of Defense: Chinese Navy Yancheng Ship Group Transits the Miyako Strait】
According to information released by Japan's Ministry of Defense's Joint Staff Department on July 27, 2026: At around 1 a.m. on July 25, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force detected the Chinese Navy's Type 054A frigate Yancheng (hull number 546) and the Type 903 replenishment ship Dongpinghu (hull number 902) navigating northwestward in waters approximately 180 kilometers east of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture.
Subsequent confirmation revealed that the two vessels transited the strait between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island (the Miyako Strait), continuing their northwestward journey toward the East China Sea. Later, the Type 054A frigate with hull number 546 turned around and retraced its path through the waterway between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island, sailing southward toward the Pacific Ocean, near Kume Island in Okinawa Prefecture, about 80 kilometers to the southwest.
Further verification confirmed that this naval formation is the same as the Chinese Navy vessels that passed eastward through the Ōsumi Strait on June 27–28.
The Japan Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces deployed P-1 anti-submarine patrol aircraft from the First Air Group based at Kadena Air Base and P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft from the Fifth Air Group based at Naha Air Base to conduct continuous surveillance and intelligence gathering on this formation.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871873915249859/
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