Japan Says China Sent 2 Aircraft Carriers in Pacific for First Time

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Jun 11, 2025 - 09:54 Updated: Jun 11, 2025 - 09:50
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Japan Says China Sent 2 Aircraft Carriers in Pacific for First Time
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Japan has confirmed that two Chinese aircraft carriers are simultaneously carrying out operations in the Pacific for the first time, a move that Tokyo interprets as an indication of Beijing’s plans to further extend its military reach beyond its borders.

Shandong, China’s domestically built aircraft carrier, and four naval vessels sailed into the waters southwest of Japan’s Miyakojima island on June 7, Tokyo’s Joint Staff Office said in a June 9 statement on its website.
Later that day, Japan detected another group of Chinese naval vessels, including aircraft carrier Liaoning, in the waters 186 miles southwest of Minamitorishima, an isolated Japanese atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the Joint Staff Office said in a separate statement. That falls within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, defined by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea as lying within 200 nautical miles (about 230 miles) from the shoreline.

Liaoning was seen conducting takeoffs and landings with carrier-based fighter jets, while Shandong remained active in the area on June 9, performing helicopter takeoff and landing training, according to the Joint Staff Office.

“This is the first time that we have confirmed and made public that two aircraft carriers were active in the Pacific Ocean at the same time,” Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at a press conference on June 10.
It also marked the first time Chinese naval aircraft carriers were found operating in the waters east of Iwo Jima, Nakatani said. The island, situated about 650 nautical miles (750 miles) from Tokyo, is part of the strategically important Second Island Chain, which includes Guam, Palau, and Papua New Guinea.

In a social media post, the Chinese navy described the operations as “routine training” conducted according to its annual training schedule, which it said was not aimed at any specific country.

The recent drills involving Liaoning and Shandong in the Western Pacific and other waters were to “test the forces’ capabilities in far seas defense and joint operations,” Senior Capt. Wang Xuejun, the Chinese navy’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Weibo, China’s equivalent of X.

China’s foreign ministry also defended the actions of its navy.

“We hope that the Japanese side can look at the matter objectively and rationally,” Li Jian, the ministry’s spokesman, told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing on June 10.
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Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks in the second plenary session titled “Ensuring Stability in a Competitive World” during the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on May 31, 2025. Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images
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According to Japan’s assessment, the Chinese military seeks to enhance its two aircraft carriers’ operational capabilities and “improve its operational capabilities in distant seas and airspace.” Nakatani said.

Tokyo will closely monitor the movement of the Chinese vessels and share relevant information with the public, he said.

“Japan’s prompt disclosure of information concerning the carriers underscores its commitment to deter any forceful, unilateral shifts in the regional status quo,” he said.

He told reporters that Tokyo had expressed its position to Beijing through diplomatic channels, ensuring that the Chinese regime’s activities “do not pose a threat to our national security.”

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