M
Marisa Laudadio
Guest
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Akizuki-class destroyer JS Suzutsuki ventured into Chinese territorial waters. By: Kyodo/Newscom/The Mega Agency
As tensions between China and Japan โ a U.S. defense treaty ally โ continue to mount, fueled by territorial disputes, details of a precarious incident involving a Japanese warship being fired upon by the Chinese military have emerged. Knewz.com has learned that a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer faced at least two warning shots from Chinese vessels as it mistakenly entered Chinese territorial waters in the East China Sea.
What happened
The Suzutsuki was monitoring live-fire drills being carried out by Chinaโs Eastern Theater Command. By: Kyodo/Newscom/The Mega Agency
Details of the tense situation, which took place in July 2024, only recently surfaced after diplomatic sources revealed the incident to Kyodo News. According to a report, the JS Suzutsuki, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, was monitoring Chinese military drills from international waters. It then sailed into Chinese waters for about 20 minutes, coming within 12 nautical miles of the coast of Chinaโs Zhejiang province. Chinese vesselsโ warnings to the destroyer to change course were ignored, leading Chinaโs military to fire a warning shot just before the Suzutsuki entered Chinese territorial waters. Another shot was fired after the ship crossed over, diplomatic sources said.
Japanโs mistake
Chinese vessels fired two warning shots at the Japanese destroyer during the 2024 incident. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
The destroyerโs move into Chinese territorial waters was seemingly inadvertent. A crew error was to blame, sources said, explaining that the Japanese shipโs electronic navigational chart display failed to reveal the boundary between international and territorial waters because a switch wasnโt turned on.
Chinaโs explanation
Japanโs Suzutsuki destroyer was initially operating in international waters off the coast of Chinaโs Zhejiang province. By: Arthur Wang on Unsplash
Vessels that fly under foreign flags are allowed to travel through territorial waters under the principle of innocent passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However China requires foreign warships to get permission before entering territorial waters. โIn accordance with relevant stipulations of Chinese laws, foreign military vessels must obtain approval from the Chinese government before entering Chinaโs territorial waters,โ Lin Jian, Chinaโs Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said. โFor foreign military vessels that enter Chinaโs territorial waters without approval, the Chinese side will handle the matter in accordance with the laws and regulations.โ
The fallout
The captain of Japanโs Suzutsuki destroyer was replaced two months after the face-off. By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Last September, Japanโs then-Defense Minister Minoru Kihara confirmed that the Suzutsukiโs captain had been replaced after just two months in the role. But at the time, a reason for the leadership change wasnโt given. It now seems it could be tied to what China โ which has called for Japan to investigate the incident and make changes to ensure such an error doesnโt happen again โ described as an โillegal and improper moveโ on the part of the Japanese navy, Newsweek reported.
The post China fired warning shots at U.S. ally warship appeared first on Knewz.
Continue reading...
