Japan, US Discuss Recent Passage Of Russian, Chinese Ships Off Japanese Islands - Reports

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro have discussed the recent joint passage of Russian and Chinese warships through straits near Japanese islands during a meeting in Tokyo, the Kyodo news agency reported on Monday

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2021) Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro have discussed the recent joint passage of Russian and Chinese warships through straits near Japanese islands during a meeting in Tokyo, the Kyodo news agency reported on Monday.

Over the weekend, Moscow said that Russian and Chinese warships had conducted the first joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean, with the vessels traversing the international waters of the Tsugaru Strait in the Sea of Japan. Tokyo, in turn, said that the warships also sailed through the Osumi Strait and the Japanese military registered a helicopter taking off from and landing on the deck of a Chinese destroyer near the Danjo Islands.

In response, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force scrambled its fighter jets.

During the talks, Kishi expressed concern about the activities of the Russian and Chinese vessels, the news agency said, noting that Del Toro expressed Washington's intention to further strengthen maritime cooperation with its long-time security ally.

The officials also touched upon North Korea's recent test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Last week, North Korea said it had successfully test launched a ballistic missile from a submarine. Since the launch sparked a new whirlwind of tensions in the region, North Korea's foreign ministry issued a statement saying that it was not aimed at any particular country.