Japan confirms Chinese aircraft carrier sails east of Iwo Jima for first time, breaches EEZ

The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through waters east of the island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's top government spokesperson said on Monday.

Japan would strengthen surveillance and gather necessary information, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular press briefing in Tokyo. Japan has also sent "an appropriate message" to China, Hayashi said without elaborating.

Iwo Jima is located 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Tokyo.

A statement by Japan's Joint Staff showed over the weekend that the Liaoning, accompanied by some other ships, sailed in the sea within Japan's exclusive economic zone near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima.

Japan had also confirmed fighter jets and helicopters taking off and landing from Liaoning in the waters southeast of Iwo Jima on Sunday.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Kate Mayberry)