Chinese and Russian navies held live-fire drills within Japan's exclusive economic zone over the weekend, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said.
Koizumi revealed the development during a keynote speech at an international airshow in Farnborough, southern Britain. According to the Defense Ministry, a Chinese navy guided-missile destroyer conducted a machine-gun firing drill on Sunday within Japan's EEZ about 180 kilometers southwest of Okinotori Island.
The Chinese and Russian warships had jointly navigated waters between Okinawa's main island and Miyako Island toward the Pacific on Thursday. The ministry said it is the first time it has spotted and publicized a live-fire drill by the Chinese military inside the Japanese EEZ.
Koizumi said, "Each of these is yet another manifestation of the deepening military cooperation between China and Russia." Tokyo communicated its concern to Beijing through diplomatic channels.