Japanese Destroyer Conducts Joint Drill with U.S. Navy

Tokyo, Dec. 12 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's Akizuki destroyer conducted a joint exercise with the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier George Washington and its Dewey destroyer in the Pacific off the southern coast of Japan's Kanto region this week, the MSDF said Friday.

The three vessels shared information about detected targets in real time in the tactical exercise.

The joint exercise from Monday through Thursday was designed to improve interoperability between the MSDF and the U.S. Navy, the MSDF said. It was not aimed at any specific country or region, it added.

The George Washington returned to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Thursday, according to the Navy.

J-15 fighter aircraft that took off from the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning trained radar on Japanese fighter jets over waters near the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa on Saturday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]