Japanese Marine Fleet Makes Port Call In Vietnam


Japanese marine fleet makes port call in Vietnam

A Japanese submarine and two destroyers are making a port call in southern Vietnam in an apparent show of force against China's maritime activities.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force deployed a marine fleet, including the country's largest destroyer Kaga, in September to waters in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The MSDF fleet is scheduled to stay in the region for more than a month to participate in joint exercises with navies of other countries.

The Japanese defense ministry said on Friday that the Shoryu submarine joined the fleet in the South China Sea for an exercise in which the vessels tracked the sub while it was navigating under water.

The ministry says the fleet arrived at a port in Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay on Saturday to resupply.

Vietnam, China and three other countries and Taiwan claim sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Cam Ranh Bay, which is located near the islands, serves as a strategically important port for the Vietnamese navy.

The port call is believed to be part of efforts by Japanese and Vietnamese authorities to strengthen cooperation in light of China's increasing maritime activities in the South China Sea.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is expected to visit Vietnam as early as mid-October in his first foreign trip since taking office.