Chinese carrier operations near Okinawa draw Japanese fighter response

Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese aircraft carrier conducted flight operations south of Okinawa. The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, seen here in the Western Pacific on April 18, 2018, was operating near Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, on Oct. 14, 2026. (China's Defense Ministry) TOKYO — Japan scrambled fighter jets Wednesday after a Chinese aircraft carrier conducted flight operations south of Okinawa, days before the start of a major U.S.-Japan military exercise, according to Japan’s Joint Staff. The Liaoning launched and recovered an unspecified number of Chinese aircraft about 155 miles south of Ishigaki Island, within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the Joint Staff said in a news release Wednesday. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force dispatched fighters to monitor the activity, according to the release.

Japanese forces first spotted the Liaoning and three guided-missile destroyers Tuesday about 242 miles southwest of the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki prefecture, the Joint Staff said. The group then sailed southeast Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, according to the release. Japan dispatched the destroyer JS Yugiri, a P-1 maritime patrol aircraft and a P-3C Orion surveillance plane to monitor the Chinese vessels and gather information, the Joint Staff said. China’s Defense Ministry confirmed Wednesday that a naval task group led by the Liaoning was training in the Western Pacific. The