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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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Japan's Defense Ministry said a Russian naval vessel designed to collect intelligence was tracked sailing around the country's southwestern outlying territory near Taiwan, amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over a potential Chinese move on the island.
Newsweek has emailed both the Russian defense and foreign ministries for comment. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
Japan, a key United States treaty ally in the Western Pacific, often intercepts Russian and Chinese forces—which have strengthened their cooperation under the so-called "partnership without limits"—operating near the nation's sovereign airspace and waters.
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Since November last year, Japan and China have been in a diplomatic feud after Tokyo raised the possibility of using force for "collective self-defense" should Beijing took military action against Taiwan, a self-ruled island China has long claimed as its own.
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Russia, which has voiced concerns over the U.S. military presence in Japan near the Far East, said it would support China in defending its "territorial integrity" in the event of a Taiwan conflict, saying Moscow recognizes the island as an integral part of China.
What To Know
According to Japan's Defense Ministry, a Russian naval intelligence-collection ship assigned hull number "535" sailed southward on Monday between Taiwan's east coast and Yonaguni—Japan's westernmost island—transiting from the East China Sea.
The Russian vessel was tracked the following day on a northbound voyage, entering Yonaguni's contiguous zone—which extends up to 27.6 miles from the coastline—but not sailing within the 13.8-mile-wide territorial sea, before arriving north of the island.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the Russian spy ship was observed operating north of Miyako Island—after an eastward passage from waters near Yonaguni—and sailing southwest, during which it passed through Japan's contiguous zone for the second time.
A map provided by Japan's Defense Ministry illustrates the Russian naval voyage as the vessel circumnavigated the Sakishima Islands—part of the Ryukyu Islands and including the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands—clockwise. Last seen south of the island group, the ship was tracked heading southwest.
The Russian ship, first spotted near Japan on January 7 while transiting the Tsushima Strait between the Korean Peninsula and Japan's main islands, was under surveillance by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, including a destroyer and two patrol planes.
It remains unclear what kind of intelligence the Russian vessel was seeking. The U.S. and Japan have agreed to bolster their military presence across Japan's southwestern islands, where the U.S. maintains an air base to support power projection near China.
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What People Are Saying
Japan's defense white paper 2025 commented: "Russia has been conducting intensive military activities in the region encompassing the Northern Territories, alongside continuing its aggression against Ukraine. Russia has also been observed engaging in joint activities with China involving aircraft and vessels."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a December interview: "Recently, the Japanese leadership has been seeking to accelerate the country's militarization…The detrimental influence of such an approach on the regional stability is obvious…Our Japanese neighbors should have weighted everything properly before taking any hasty decisions."
What Happens Next
Russia is expected to continue its military activities across the Western Pacific to signal its presence, despite the war in Ukraine. Moscow may also coordinate its actions with China and its new military partner, North Korea, to counter the U.S.-Japan alliance.
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