TOKYO - Three Chinese naval vessels and a China Coast Guard ship passed through the Osumi Strait off Kagoshima Prefecture into the Pacific Ocean, Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
It is the first time the ministry has announced that a China Coast Guard vessel accompanied a Chinese navy vessel through a strait near Japan.
The ministry is closely monitoring their activities as it believes the move is part of China's efforts to increase its maritime assertiveness.
At around 10 a.m. Tuesday, the four Chinese vessels were cruising in waters about 200 kilometers west of Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, before heading east through the strait, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels and aircraft monitored the locations and activities of the Chinese ships, including two guided-missile destroyers.
