Tokyo, April 17 (IANS) The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer J S Ikazuchi sailed through Taiwan Strait on Friday, the country’s media reported.

According to Japan’s leading Kyodo news agency, Tokyo had long refrained from sending MSDF vessels through the strait to avoid provoking Beijing, until September 2024 when the destroyer Sazanami became the first to do so. Two MSDF ships subsequently passed through the strait in February and June 2025.

“It is the first such passage since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office last October and could further strain ties between the two Asian neighbours, which have soured since her remarks in November about a Taiwan contingency,” Kyodo news reported.

It added that the vessel is scheduled to take part in an annual large-scale joint military exercise called Balikatan, in the Philippines from Monday through May 8.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Japan has sought to provoke China by these actions, asserting that the self-ruled island status of Taiwan is a “red line that must not be crossed.”

According to Xinhua news agency, China’s Ministry of National Defence has lodged a strong protest with Japan.

The Defence Ministry’s spokesperson said that the passage of the Japanese vessel sent wrong signals to the secessionist forces in Taiwan. “We urge the Japanese side to return to the right path, strictly abide by the One China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan,” he said, adding that the Chinese military will take firm measures to counter any external interference while remaining on high alert.

Spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theatre Command, Xu Chenghua said that the PLA has deployed air and naval assets to monitor and track the vessel to maintain control of the situation.

–IANS

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