A Chinese Navy destroyer (left) conducts live-fire training inside Japan's exclusive economic zone near Okinotorishima island as a Russian warship (right) observes in this image taken Sunday and released late Monday. Below: An enlarged section of the image shows machine-gun fire from the Chinese vessel. | JAPAN DEFENSE MINISTRY JOINT STAFF OFFICE / VIA JIJI
Jul 21, 2026
A Chinese destroyer conducted live-fire military drills inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Okinotorishima island over the weekend, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced, as Russian warships observed — the latest signal of Beijing and Moscow’s growing defense ties.
The announcement was the first time Tokyo had spotted and made public a live-fire drill by the Chinese military within Japan’s EEZ.
“At this moment, Chinese and Russian naval vessels are conducting joint navigation operations in the waters surrounding Japan,” Koizumi said in a speech at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, on Monday.
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