China Releases Video of Japanese Warship’s ‘Dangerous’ Actions

Key Points:

• China’s military released footage showing a close encounter between its Liaoning aircraft carrier group and a Japanese warship, the JS Asahi, during a deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean lasting over 40 days.
• The Chinese military accused Japanese ships and planes of repeated close tracking, surveillance, harassment, and provocations during the Liaoning’s operations in the South China Sea and Philippine Sea, while Japan has not publicly commented on the incident.
• The Liaoning’s deployment included realistic combat exercises, carrier aircraft flight drills, and search and rescue training, marking its first wider Pacific operation since December, amid ongoing tensions over Japan’s military modernization supported by the U.S.
• Footage also showed Japanese navy patrol planes flying overhead as the Liaoning group was shadowed, and a separate image depicted a Chinese J-15 fighter jet monitoring a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane, highlighting increased regional military activity.
• The Chinese navy described the exercises as routine and aimed at improving operational capabilities, while the Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed monitoring the Liaoning strike group’s movements in the Philippine Sea and East China Sea.