Society

Japan to join 3 US carriers for naval drills in western Pacific

Nov 08 (Nikkei) - Japan is arranging upcoming joint naval exercises with three U.S. aircraft carriers in the western Pacific Ocean, hoping to exert pressure on North Korea as it continues its nuclear and missile development.

Japan will dispatch destroyers and other vessels that will link up with the USS Ronald Reagan, the Theodore Roosevelt and the Nimitz. The three American vessels are each part of their own carrier strike group also including smaller warships and air squadrons.

This will apparently mark the first time in about a decade that three U.S. aircraft carriers participate in joint exercises in the Asia-Pacific region. Japanese forces have trained with two carriers as recently as June in the Sea of Japan, but this will be their first joint exercises with three, according to the Maritime Staff Office.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the navies of the U.S. and India also held joint drills in the Sea of Japan for the first time Friday through Monday. The Japanese destroyer Inazuma and Indian frigate Satpura participated along with the Ronald Reagan, which calls Japan's port of Yokosuka home.

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