Japan sails warship in Taiwan Strait for first time: reports


The destroyer Sazanami sailed through the waterway on its way to a multilateral exercise in the South China Sea, reports say

Kelly Ng
BBC News
Reporting from
Singapore
26 September 2024, 04:58 BST
Updated 5 hours ago

A Japanese warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China for the first time, according to reports in Japanese media.

The JS Sazanami, a naval destroyer, passed through the strait from north to south on Wednesday, accompanied by ships from Australia and New Zealand.

The vessel was on its way to take part in military exercises in the South China Sea, Japanese ministers were quoted as saying.
This would be a significant move by Japan, which is thought to have avoided sailing its ships through the strait in order not to upset China, which claims self-governed Taiwan and the strait.

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