Japan Warship Sails Through Taiwan Strait for First Time
The unprecedented move by Japan, accompanied by Australian and New Zealand vessels, aims to assert freedom of navigation amid rising tensions with China.
- The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami navigated the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, marking the first such transit by a Japanese warship.
- The passage was conducted alongside naval vessels from Australia and New Zealand, ahead of planned military exercises in the South China Sea
- China, which claims sovereignty over the strait, monitored the transit and lodged a complaint with Japan, citing security concerns.
- Japan's government cited repeated Chinese military incursions into its airspace as a key reason for the transit, reflecting heightened regional tensions.
- The move aligns with similar freedom of navigation operations by the US and its allies, challenging Beijing's territorial claims over the Taiwan Strait.
NDTV 
Naval News 
Business Insider 
Denver Gazette 
Newsweek 
ABC News 
The Independent 
BBC 
CNA 
Al Jazeera 
Deutsche Welle 
South China Morning Post 
Fox News 
The Japan Times 