Japan joins US/Indo-Pacific navies for SCS exercises

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force will conduct bilateral military exercises with the US, Indian, Sri Lankan, Singaporean, Indonesian and Philippine navies during a month-long deployment in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Three Japanese ships, including the helicopter carrier Kaga, will participate in the exercises to improve the navy’s combat capability and interoperability with other navies in the region.

This development comes in the wake of Tokyo’s donation of two coast guard patrol boats worth US$11 million to Sri Lanka, amid concerns about growing Chinese influence there.