Chinese missiles reportedly fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone and flew over Taiwan

Published on 4/08/2022 at 17:14Reading Time: 3 Minutes

TookJapan filed the claim with China through diplomatic channels. For the Japanese Defense Ministry, it is the first time that Chinese ballistic missiles have entered the Japanese EEZ since China launched military exercises of unprecedented scale around Taiwan in response to the president’s visit to the US House of Representatives on Thursday. Nancy Pelosi.

“Of the nine ballistic missiles fired by China, five are suspected to have landed in Japan’s EEZ,” Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters on Thursday. US House of Representatives.

“Japan has lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels,” Kishi said, calling the incident a “serious issue that affects our national security and the security of our citizens.”

Some islands in Okinawa Department, in the extreme south of Japan, are only a few tens of kilometers from Taiwan.

“Serious Impact on Peace”

In addition, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday called for an “immediate halt” for Chinese military maneuvers around Taiwan, launched in response to the visit of leader of US Representative Nancy Pelosi to the island.

This time, China’s actions have had a serious impact on peace and stability in the region, he said. I once again call for an immediate stop to these military exercises,” he told reporters in Phnom Penh, where he was attending a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

Military exercises of an unprecedented scale, launched by China this Thursday around Taiwan, are a response to the visit of Pelosi, who stayed on the island Tuesday evening and Wednesday despite strong warnings from Beijing, which would recognize Taiwan as one of its provinces. admits. ,

China sees Ms Pelosi’s initiative as a provocation, backing support for Taiwan’s independence activists and reneging on the United States’ promise not to have official ties with the island. In response, the Chinese military has launched a series of military exercises along busy trade routes in six maritime zones around Taiwan and sometimes just 20 kilometers from Taiwan’s coasts.

Xi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese military, said the maneuver, which began at noon (4 a.m. GMT) on Thursday, involved “conventional missile fire” in the waters off Taiwan’s east coast.