Indo-Pacific — 2026-07-22

Chinese Destroyer Fires Live Rounds Inside Japan Exclusive Economic Zone During Joint Exercise With Russia

BLUFBeijing's live-fire drill inside Japan's EEZ converts a diplomatic dispute over Okinotorishima into an operational fait accompli that Tokyo's restrained protest did nothing to reverse.

The Chinese guided-missile destroyer Kaifeng conducted live machine-gun fire roughly 110 miles southwest of Okinotorishima in the Philippine Sea over the weekend, the first time Japan has publicly announced a foreign vessel conducting a live-fire exercise inside its exclusive economic zone, according to a Japan Joint Staff spokesman 12. The Kaifeng was operating alongside the Chinese destroyer Anshan, the supply ship Kekexilihu, and the Russian Navy Steregushchiy-class frigate Rezkiy 12. The four-ship flotilla was first spotted 205 miles southwest of Okinotorishima at 2 a.m. Sunday after transiting the Miyako Strait on Thursday 12. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi disclosed the incident Monday at the Farnborough Airshow, stating that Chinese and Russian naval vessels are currently conducting joint navigation operations in waters surrounding Japan 3. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said China notified nearby vessels via radio shortly before the drill began, and Japan sent protests through diplomatic channels citing potential dangers to nearby ships 1. More than 15 Chinese and Russian vessels have transited key waterways around Japan between June and July, following a joint naval exercise off Qingdao from July 6 to 13 1.

Analysis
The drill marks the first documented instance of Chinese naval gunnery inside Japan's EEZ, converting the longstanding Okinotorishima sovereignty dispute into a demonstrated operational precedent. Coordination with a Russian frigate extends the combined patrol pattern set during the July 6-13 Qingdao exercise into waters Tokyo treats as sovereign economic space, and more than 15 joint transits since June point to a sustained operational tempo rather than an isolated incident. Reporting rests on a single Japan Joint Staff disclosure, with outlets amplifying rather than independently corroborating it. Beijing frames the drill as lawful high-seas activity, resting on its position that Okinotorishima is a rock ineligible for a 200-nautical-mile zone rather than sovereign territory being tested, and Tokyo's protest through routine diplomatic channels signals Japan is cataloguing the event rather than treating it as an escalation threshold.

5 sources

Chinese destroyer trains with live fire inside Japan's EEZ for first time - Stars and Stripes
中国・ロシア海軍艦艇計4隻が沖ノ鳥島南西の海域を北東進、うち1隻が射撃訓練を実施 - Japan Ministry of Defense, Joint Staff (統合幕僚監部)
Chinese warship holds rare live-fire exercise inside Japan's EEZ - Japan Times
China doubles down on confrontation with Philippine Navy, Japan as ASEAN ministers meet in Manila - ThePrint
Japan raises safety concern over Chinese destroyer's live-fire drills - Washington Post