Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–A Chinese coast guard ship has passed through the Osumi Strait off Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, along with three Chinese naval ships including missile destroyers, the Japanese Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff has said. The announcement, made Wednesday, marked the first time for the ministry to disclose a case in which Chinese coast guard and naval ships traveled together through a strait around Japan. Unlike the navy, China’s coast guard is a maritime law enforcement agency. As its capabilities have been significantly enhanced in recent years, it is often called the country’s second navy. According to the ministry, the four vessels were sailing about 200 kilometers west of the Kagoshima island of Kuchinoerabu around 10 a.m. Tuesday. The four then traveled eastward and passed through the Osumi Strait into the Pacific. Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels and patrol aircraft conducted monitoring operations. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
