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Daily Record
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Royal Navy warship sent to put pressure on North Korea amid rising tensions in region
HMS Spey has conducted operations in the Sea of Japan alongside the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force A Royal Navy vessel has been dispatched to exert pressure on North Korea amidst escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. HMS Spey has joined forces with Japanese naval ships to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolutions against the isolated Asian country, which stands accused of increasing its weapons production, in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. In collaboration with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, HMS Spey kept a close watch on North Korean vessels suspected of violating sanctions previously imposed on Pyongyang. It is believed that Kim Jong-un is generating income for his country through weapons proliferation, leading to heightened maritime surveillance to curb trading. Information gathered from the operation was subsequently shared with the United Nations Command, reports the Express. The Royal Navy confirmed that the exercise, which saw personnel from 148 Battery come aboard for Exercise Bersama Shield 2025, contributes to its ongoing efforts to maintain security in the region. Following the patrol, Spey docked at Sasebo Naval Base in Japan, where it hosted several high-ranking individuals from the UK, Japan and US naval forces. This senior delegation included Group Captain Andrew Johnson, Director of United Nations Command - Rear, Rear Admiral Yasutaka Ebata of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, and Captain Mike Fontaine, Commanding Officer of Fleet Activities Sasebo from the US Navy. The US Navy has intensified its efforts to establish order in the seas of the Indo-Pacific region, following repeated attempts by China to encroach upon Taiwanese air and sea space. The Royal Navy has confirmed that the meeting of delegates provided an opportunity to bolster relations with its Japanese and American counterparts. It was further added that the three powers deliberated on enhancing operational cooperation to address security threats in the region. A friendly football match was also held onboard, pitting Spey's crew against sailors from Japan's JMSDF Escort Flotilla 2, with the latter emerging victorious with a 4-3 win. Commander Paul Caddy, HMS Spey's Commanding Officer, expressed that it had been an honour for the ship to support the United Nations Command.
The Star
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days
A member of the Philippine Navy looking out at Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14. - Photo: AFP TOKYO: Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo's coast guard said on Sunday (June 22). The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbours. On June 22, Japan said it observed four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the 'contiguous' zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond Japan's territorial waters. In 2024, Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain a record 355 times, including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coast guard spokesman told AFP. Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of the Chinese coast guard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the remote, disputed islands. Relations between Japan and China were strained by Tokyo's decision to 'nationalise' some of the islands in 2012. On June 20, Japan's coast guard and its US and Filipino counterparts staged joint training drills off Japan's south-west shore – the second time the countries' coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan. Territorial disputes with China have pushed Japan to forge deeper ties with the Philippines and the United States. Earlier in June, Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas. - AFP
Straits Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Japan spots Chinese ships near disputed isles for record 216 straight days
A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's destroyer Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14. PHOTO: AFP TOKYO - Japan spotted Chinese vessels sailing near disputed islets in the East China Sea for a record 216 consecutive days, Tokyo's coast guard said on June 22 . The Tokyo-administered islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, have long been a sore point between the neighbours. On June 22 , Japan said it observed four Chinese coast guard vessels sailing in the 'contiguous' zone, referring to a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond Japan's territorial waters. In 2024 , Chinese vessels sailed near the Tokyo-administered island chain a record 355 times, including for a period of 215 consecutive days, a Japanese coast guard spokesman told AFP. Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of the Chinese coast guard and other vessels in the waters surrounding the remote, disputed islands. Relations between Japan and China were strained by Tokyo's decision to 'nationalise' some of the islands in 2012. On June 20 , Japan's coast guard and its US and Filipino counterparts staged joint training drills off Japan's southwest shore – the second time the countries' coast guards have held training drills together, and the first in Japan. Territorial disputes with China have pushed Japan to forge deeper ties with the Philippines and the United States. Earlier this month, Tokyo and Beijing traded barbs over close encounters between their military planes over the Pacific high seas. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Chinese jets fly as close as 45 metres to Japanese patrol planes in Pacific
TOKYO/BEIJING: Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese military patrol planes over the Pacific last weekend, Tokyo said, after it spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers simultaneously deployed in the waters for the first time. While Beijing said its military activities were "fully in line with international law" and asked Japan to stop its "dangerous" reconnaissance, Japanese and US officials have seen the jets' actions as another sign of the Chinese military's growing assertiveness beyond its borders. Tokyo has "expressed serious concern ... and solemnly requested prevention of recurrence" to Beijing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Thursday, referring to the June 7–8 incidents in which Japan said Chinese jets flew as close as 45 metres (148 feet) to Japanese planes. On Saturday, a Chinese J-15 jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes, Japan's defence ministry said. On Sunday, a J-15 chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900 metres, it added. A spokesperson at the ministry's Joint Staff Office declined to disclose whether the same planes were involved in the incidents on both days. The P-3C aircraft, belonging to a Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force fleet based on the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific, according to the ministry. "Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions," the ministry said in a Wednesday statement, attaching close-up images of the missile-armed J-15 jet it took on Sunday. There was no damage to the Japanese planes and crew, it added. In response, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press conference that "the close-in reconnaissance by Japanese ships and planes of China's normal military activities is the root cause of the risk to maritime and air security. "The Chinese side urges the Japanese side to stop such dangerous behaviour." Earlier this week, Tokyo said the Shandong and another Chinese carrier, the Liaoning, were conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time. Beijing has said the operations were a "routine training" exercise that did not target specific countries. The Chinese presence in the sea and airspace in the southeast of the Japanese island chain has put Tokyo and its ally Washington on heightened alert, as Japan pursues its biggest military build-up since World War Two in the wake of the intensifying security environment in East Asia, including over Taiwan. "Our sense of urgency is growing," General Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of Staff of Japan's Joint Staff, told a briefing. "As evident in the South China Sea, the Chinese military has unilaterally changed the status quo through force wherever their military influence extends ... we will maintain a deterrent posture not to allow these actions normalised," added Yoshida, Japan's highest-ranking uniformed officer. "The recent dangerous manoeuvre by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers' lives in peril must be another of Beijing's 'good neighbour' efforts," US Ambassador to Japan George Glass said in an X post. "Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression," Glass added, citing recent incidents in the South China Sea. In 2014, Tokyo said it spotted Chinese military aircraft flying as close as 30 metres to its military aircraft over the East China Sea and protested to Beijing.
Barnama
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
JS Harusame Makes Port Call In Kuantan, Reflects Growing Japan-Malaysia Defence Ties
KUANTAN, June 9 (Bernama) -- The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), JS Harusame made a port call here as part of its deployment for counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. Commanded by Commander Makoto Ozawa, the vessel departed from Sasebo on June 1 with approximately 200 personnel onboard, including JMSDF sailors and members of the Japan Coast Guard. 'During this port call, we plan to engage in various exchange activities with the Royal Malaysian Navy,' said Ozawa in a statement today. This marks the fourth visit by JMSDF vessels to Malaysia this year, following their participation in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA). It is also the first visit to Kuantan by a JMSDF vessel since 2019. According to Ozawa, the government of Japan is actively promoting a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" to uphold an international order based on the rule of law. Ozawa said in this context, port visits and bilateral exercises with regional partners like Malaysia are seen as vital to furthering this vision and added that in 2024, the two nations launched their first bilateral exercise, MALPAN, and have already conducted two exercises. Additionally, Japan established the Official Security Assistance (OSA) framework in 2023, selecting Malaysia as one of the first four recipient countries. 'Japan will provide security equipment to Malaysia soon. Furthermore, there has been active exchange through study abroad, study visits, and seminars,' he added.
