Japanese First as Destroyer Sails Taiwan Strait

Japan's Self Defense Force patrolled the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time in an attempt to send a message to China, the Yomiuri newspaper, reported citing multiple government sources.

SDF destroyer Sazanami entered the waters from the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, spending more than 10 hours sailing southward to complete the passage, the Japanese newspaper reported on Thursday.

The passage was conducted in concert with naval ships from Australia and New Zealand, the paper said.

An SDF official declined to comment on the report.

An increase in Chinese military activity near Japan and around Taiwan in recent years has worried Tokyo. Japan has responded with a defence buildup it says aims to deter China from using military force to push its territorial claims in the region.

China on Wednesday said it had successfully conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, while leaders of the 'Quad' grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States last week expanded joint security steps in Asia's waters due to shared concerns about China.

(Reuters - Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Tim Kelly; Editing by Kim Coghill)