Japan to Send 3 Destroyers to South China Sea, Indian Ocean

August 22, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese Defense Ministry's Maritime Staff Office said Tuesday that it will dispatch three destroyers to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean from Sunday through October.

The three, including the helicopter carrier Kaga of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kure base in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, will make port calls in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Currently, the office is scheduling joint drills with the navies of these nations.

Japanese government sources said the dispatch is in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "free and open" Indo-Pacific strategy. Another likely aim is to respond to China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The U.S. Navy sends warships to the South China Sea under its freedom of navigation operations. Jiji Press