TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s commissioning of its third aircraft carrier the Fujian is accelerating a shift in the Pacific balance of power, heightening pressure on Japan, Nikkei Asia reported Saturday.
China capped a year of stepped-up military activity with large-scale drills around Taiwan last month. The exercises deployed amphibious assault vessels and drones east of Taiwan, close to Japan’s westernmost territory, Yonaguni Island.
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae received 12 situation reports between Dec. 29-31, highlighting Tokyo’s heightened vigilance. Defense officials say the drills underscore growing risks along Japan’s southwestern flank.
Analysts in Japan say China’s training is increasingly designed to deter US and Japanese intervention in a Taiwan contingency. They say recent maneuvers have placed sustained pressure on Japan’s air and maritime defenses.
From Dec. 6-12, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier sailed around Okinawa’s main island, home to major US and Japanese bases.
Fighter jets repeatedly took off from the carrier within Japan’s air defense identification zone. Japan said Chinese military aircraft targeted scrambled Japanese jets with radar, raising tensions.
The drills followed China’s commissioning of its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, in November 2025. It joins the Liaoning and the Shandong, which earlier conducted simultaneous exercises near the “second island chain,” including Japan’s Ogasawara Islands.
With three carriers, China can sustain operations farther from home and rotate vessels for maintenance with fewer gaps. Defense planners say this expands Beijing’s ability to project power across the Pacific.
China’s air force has also expanded rapidly, quintupling its modern fighter fleet in under 20 years. Japan’s Defense Ministry counts 1,668 fourth- and fifth-generation Chinese fighters as of 2025, while numbers elsewhere in the region have remained largely flat.
A parallel buildup is underway at sea, with China’s total naval displacement up 25% from 2019 to 2025. Over the same period, the size of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and US forces stationed in Japan changed little.
“They (China) are developing vessels capable of launching many different types of missiles to penetrate enemy air defenses,” said Ohara Bonji of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He noted the trend points to more complex, high-intensity operations.
The shift comes as the US’ latest National Security Strategy emphasizes the Western Hemisphere. Japan is responding by revising its own security documents and deepening ties with partners from Australia and the Philippines to Europe and India to shore up regional stability.
