Tokyo Tracks 3 PLA Navy Warships in Tsushima Strait as Type 055 Returns to Sea of Japan
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · May 8
Tokyo Tracks 3 PLA Navy Warships in Tsushima Strait as Type 055 Returns to Sea of Japan
2 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 8
Three PLA Navy warships — including a Type 055 destroyer and a Type 052D destroyer — were tracked by Japan while transiting the Tsushima Strait, with JS Ootaka conducting alert surveillance and intelligence gathering.
The passage marked the return of part of a Chinese task group that had entered the Sea of Japan through the same strait at the end of last month.
The Type 055 is a cruiser-sized Renhai-class vessel built for air defense, anti-submarine warfare and surface combat, making its movement near Japan especially notable.
The Type 052D also carries advanced radars and a 64-cell vertical missile launcher, underscoring the higher-end capabilities China is showing amid broader regional tensions involving China and Russia.
As China's navy rapidly outpaces America's, can US allies like Japan effectively bridge the widening power gap in the Pacific?
China's 'gray zone' tactics paralyze conventional military responses. How can democracies counter this new warfare without triggering a full-blown conflict?
The 2026 Tsushima Strait Incident: China-Japan Naval Standoff and the Escalating East Asian Missile Race
Overview
In late March 2026, a Chinese naval task group—comprising the advanced cruiser CNS Lhasa, destroyers CNS Guiyang and CNS Chengdu, and the fleet oiler CNS Kekexilihu—transited through the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan, closely monitored by Japanese forces. The inclusion of the oiler highlighted the group’s readiness for extended operations. By late April, some ships returned through the strait while others remained, underscoring the PLAN’s growing operational reach. This incident reflects rising tensions and military modernization in the region, as both China and Japan enhance their naval capabilities and closely watch each other’s movements.