Photo/Illutration The Akizuki, a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, in Aomori Prefecture in 2013 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Japan sent a subtle message to China by dispatching a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer on a solo trip through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in early February.

The move, described by a government source as “a political message to China,” was aimed at countering the country’s growing military presence around Japan’s southwestern waters.

The Akizuki navigated from north to south on a mission authorized by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after consultations with his ministers, government sources said March 1.

China has been stepping up its military activity around the Sakishima Islands in the southwestern tip of the Japanese archipelago and other areas.

The Akizuki took part in a joint exercise with the United States, Australia and the Philippines in the South China Sea, as well as other activities.

The Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province, and China’s eastern coast. 

The United States and other countries regard the channel, which spans about 130 kilometers at its narrowest section, as “international waters.”

China disagrees and opposes the presence of U.S. and other military vessels in those waters.

The Akizuki was the second MSDF destroyer to pass through the Taiwan Strait.

The Sazanami dispatched under the previous Kishida administration passed through the channel in September with vessels from Australia and New Zealand.

The government is expected to continue sending destroyers through the Taiwan Strait if China’s military remains active around Japan.

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