TOKYO, June 1 - Japan's defence ministry said on Monday that Chinese naval forces conducted aircraft carrier flight drills in the Pacific Ocean to the east of the Philippines last week, according to a ministry bulletin that included a map of the vessels' movements.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed the presence of the aircraft carrier Liaoning and accompanying ships in the waters east of Luzon between May 26 and May 28. The bulletin reported that planes and helicopters stationed on the Liaoning performed roughly 170 take-offs and landings while the fleet operated around the western Pacific Rim.
Japan's release noted the Chinese flotilla reached a position as near as 590 km (367 miles) southeast of Miyakojima island. The defence ministry added that the Liaoning was moving southeastward along the Philippines on Friday, but provided no further operational updates in the bulletin.
Taiwan's defence ministry has also been monitoring the Liaoning. In April, Taipei said the Liaoning was the first Chinese aircraft carrier to transit the Taiwan Strait since December. The Japanese bulletin linked the recent increase in Chinese maritime activity in the western Pacific to Beijing's response to the strengthening of security ties between the United States' regional partners Japan and the Philippines.
The bulletin itself supplied the chronology and a map of the carrier group's course, and described the volume of flight operations conducted from the Liaoning during the period specified. The ministries in Tokyo and Taipei confirmed surveillance of the vessel's movements but did not include additional operational details or follow-up information beyond the movements and flight activity reported for the May 26-28 window.
Observers and regional authorities continue to track the Liaoning's deployment pattern, with Japan and Taiwan publicly documenting the carrier's recent transits and activity. The Japanese bulletin remains the primary source for the movements described between late May and the end of that month.