Japanese media said that the Chinese naval fleet followed the Japanese archipelago in a clockwise direction through the Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan. Then in mid-June, it crossed Soya Strait and Tsugaru Strait south of Hokkaido and entered. Western Pacific and all the way south. On June 21, in the Izu Islands, less than 500 kilometers away from Tokyo in a straight line, the Chinese naval fleet crossed westward through the waterway between Mikura Island and Hachijo Island, and entered the waters near Shikoku Island. The fleet finally Return to the East China Sea via Miyako Suido.
At the same time, the ship formation composed of the Chinese Navy's Type 052D guided missile destroyer Taiyuan , Zibo , and Type 054A guided missile frigates Anyang and Zhoushan entered south through the Miyako Waterway The Western Pacific, while another formation composed of the Xi'an and the Xiaogan ship sailed towards the Pacific through the waterway near Yonaguni Island. The frequent entry and exit of Chinese naval formations into the waters surrounding Japan immediately attracted great attention from the Japanese media.
Japanese media believe that the Chinese naval fleet "almost sailed around the Japanese archipelago in half a month" and also chose a similar route to the Russian naval fleet. The Japanese media even believed that this was a conflict between China and Russia. A "cruising relay" is being held in the waters surrounding Japan, because the Russian Navy just completed a voyage around the island in early June according to a similar route.
Analysts pointed out that Japan was very nervous and even somewhat unexpectedly highly vigilant in response to the so-called "circulation of the islands" carried out by Chinese and Russian naval vessels on the Japanese archipelago. In fact, this is a complex mentality and psychological projection of Japan's attempt to block the sea lanes in the Western Pacific.
On the one hand, Japan clearly knows that it is reasonable for Chinese naval vessels to pass through the above-mentioned straits and waterways and conduct maritime operations in relevant waters without entering Japanese territorial waters. This makes Japan, which is trying to find trouble, very helpless, but it does not Just cause to block. However, Japan still deliberately propagates the "China Threat Theory" in order to discredit the Chinese Navy's normal maritime training, create confrontational sentiments and false friction, create a tense atmosphere for its military expansion and war preparations, increase military expenditures, and divert public opinion.
On the other hand, The development speed of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has slowed down significantly in recent years. It has been unable to keep up with the pace of the development of the Chinese Navy, and its comprehensive strength has begun to be far inferior to China. Japan is worried about this. They believe that the Chinese Navy's high-frequency and high-density open-sea patrol activities around Japan prove that the Chinese Navy has completed the construction mission of a blue-water navy and has the ability to conduct distant-ocean maritime operations. As the gap in maritime power between China and Japan becomes wider and wider, we advise the Japanese side to adjust their mentality as soon as possible, position themselves well, and refrain from any extravagant delusions.
