Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning spotted off Japan's Okinawa

BEIJING - The Chinese aircraft carrier the Liaoning has been spotted in waters off Japan's southern island prefecture of Okinawa, Japan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The carrier, accompanied by several destroyers, passed through waters between Okinawa and Miyako islands toward the Pacific on Wednesday. Carrier-borne aircraft were seen taking off and landing in waters around 250 kilometers south of Ishigaki Island, the ministry said.