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 surveillanceaircraft 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.