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News: Japan has scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the Miyako Strait, amid rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.
About Miyako Strait
- Location: The Miyako Strait is a 250 km‑wide maritime passage of international waters and airspace between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island in Japan’s Ryukyu archipelago.
- It is also known as the Kerama Gap.
- It is the widest strait in the Ryukyu Islands.
- Connecting: It is connecting the East China Sea with the Pacific (Philippine Sea).
- It is vital for freedom of navigation, maritime security, and monitoring naval movements in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Geopolitical significance
- It provides a deep, navigable route from the East China Sea to the open Pacific.
- It is one of the few international waterways for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy to access the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea.
- In news: It has become an issue between Japan and China
