Five Chinese ballistic missiles have splashed down in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to Japanese officials.
The missiles, launched as part of China’s largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan, landed in waters southwest of Hateruma island, the ministry said.
“This is a grave issue that concerns our country’s national security and people’s safety,” Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said, according to the Japan Times.
The EEZ extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coastline. According to Kishi, this is the first incident where China has fired missiles into Japan’s EEZ.
The launches were part of China’s large-scale military exercises, conducted after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
The exercises resulted in disruptions to civilian flights in the region and what experts described as a partial blockade of the island state, considered by China to be a break-away region.
The exercises also saw numerous incursions of Chinese aircraft into Taiwan’s airspace. According to defense news magazine Janes, on August 3, 22 aircraft operated by China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) crossed the median line between mainland China and Taiwan, the largest recorded number to date.
Pelosi’s visit was preceded by China conducting a launch of the DF-17 hypersonic missile off the coast of Taiwan, as well as other military activity, resulting in the disruption of commercial traffic in the area.