A naval surface action group from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is currently engaged in a circumnavigation of Japan in preparation for the upcoming G-7 summit in Hiroshima later this month.

The surface action group consists of several vessels, including the cruiser CNS Lhasa, destroyer CNS Guiyang, frigate CNS Zaozhuang, and fleet oiler CNS Taihu, USNI News reported.

At midnight on Thursday, the group was spotted sailing southwest approximately 56 miles east of Sumisu Island, which is part of the Izu Island chain situated south of Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

Subsequently, the group sailed westward, navigating between Sumisu Island and Tori-Shima Island, according to the Joint Staff Office of Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

During their journey, the PLAN ships had previously passed through the Tsushima Strait on April 30 and the La Pérouse Strait, which separates Hokkaido from Russia’s Sakhalin Island, on May 6. T

he Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Suzunami closely monitored the movements of the PLAN ships, as stated in the release.

Written by staff