United States Forces Japan (USFJ)

Force in Play

Potential third-party combatant in any escalation; currently providing political backing but staying publicly in the background

In early December 2025, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group sailed through waters near Japan’s southwest island chain and into the western Pacific, conducting roughly 100 take-offs and landings of J-15 fighters and helicopters over two days between Okinawa’s main island and Minamidaito and then east of Kikai Island. Japan’s Self-Defense Forces say Chinese fighters repeatedly directed fire-control radar at Japanese F-15s shadowing the group near Okinawa, a step that can signal preparations to fire weapons. Tokyo summoned China’s ambassador Wu Jianghao to protest what it called a dangerous and regrettable act, while Beijing denied the radar targeting and accused Japanese aircraft of harassing normal training.

Updated Dec 11, 2025