Japanese military forces detected two Chinese submarines in the East China Sea, including a suspected Han-class nuclear powered attack submarine, according to Japanese defense sources.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces detected the submarines with the help of P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft in early October around the time that the USS George Washington aircraft carrier was conducting operations near South Korea.

The second Chinese submarine, a non-nuclear attack craft, was not further identified.

---

The submarines were believed to be conducting underwater surveillance of the George Washington and its accompanying warships.

The Han-class submarine is believed to be the same vessel that intruded into Japanese territorial waters in 2004.

The Chinese submarines were operating in international waters and did not pass inside Japanese coastal boundaries.

---