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China conducted a live-fire naval exercise on 20 July 2026 about 180 km southwest of Okinotorishima, inside an area Japan claims as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Japan's Ministry of Defence detected Chinese destroyers (including a Luyang III-class/Type 052D vessel) and a Russian frigate in the area, and said this was the first publicly announced case of a foreign navy's live-fire drill inside Japan-claimed EEZ waters.
Japan lodged a diplomatic protest on 21 July 2026; China maintains Okinotorishima is a 'rock', not an island, and disputes that it can generate an EEZ under UNCLOS Article 121.
Under UNCLOS, an EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, giving that state sovereign rights over resources in the water, seabed and subsoil, while other states retain freedom of navigation and overflight. Article 121 distinguishes islands (which can generate an EEZ) from rocks and low-tide elevations (which generally cannot) — this classification is exactly what China disputes regarding Okinotorishima.
Simple Analogy: An EEZ is like an economic 'backyard' at sea — the owner controls resources in it, but the 'street' (navigation/overflight) remains open to all, unless the underlying land feature doesn't legally qualify as a house (island) at all.
Defines the 'regime of islands', distinguishing islands, rocks and low-tide elevations for EEZ/continental shelf entitlement — central to the Japan-China dispute over Okinotorishima
GS Paper II (International Relations) / GS Paper III (Internal Security - Maritime) — UNCLOS and territorial disputes
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — the international treaty governing maritime zones and rights
Exclusive Economic Zone — extends up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, giving it rights over marine resources