Japan destroyer passes through Taiwan Strait for first time, newspaper reports

Japan's Self-Defense Forces patrolled the Taiwan Strait for the first time on Wednesday to send a message to China, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing multiple government sources.

Japan announced that a Russian patrol plane had violated its airspace and responded by firing flares.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces have reportedly patrolled the Taiwan Strait for the first time to send a message to China. (Fox News)

The Japan Self-Defense Forces' destroyer Sazanami entered the area from the East China Sea on Wednesday morning and sailed south for more than 10 hours, a Japanese newspaper reported Thursday.

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The voyage was coordinated with Australian and New Zealand naval vessels, the paper said.

Officials with the Self-Defense Forces declined to comment on the reports.