Joint naval drill by India, US and Japan | Fusion - WeRIndia

India will hold a naval drill jointly with the US and Japan from Friday for more than eight days. The naval drill will be conducted with a fleet of warships in the Western Pacific near an island in Japan and part of it belongs to China. The drill was held in the Bay of Bengal last year.

The drill is an annual event between the US and India. But, Japan is also joining this year in this event. A statement was released by the ministry of defense of Japan stating that it is the first time for the country to join in this event from 2007.

Japanese warships will exercise submarine hunting and anti-aircraft defence in this event. Furthermore, there will be the Hyuga, one of the three new helicopter carriers of Japan.

Border issues are very common between China and Japan. Tokyo and Washington are worried due to the move of China pushing its territorial claims in the bordering South China Sea. Moreover, the country is trying to get hold in the Western Pacific by increasing its fleet of submarines and surface vessels. These war ships can ply distant oceans.

Japan’s southwestern island chain is strengthening with radar stations. Powerful anti-ship missile batteries also exist there. All of these are blocking access of China from east coast to the Western Pacific.

There are approximately 220km of group of islands to the west of Taiwan. They are not inhabited. These islands are called Senkaku in Japan and known as Diaoyu in China. Japan is controlling them, but China is claiming the isles.

It also sought the help of the US in this matter. China in a statement yesterday said to the United States that the country should play a productive role to preserve peace in the disputed South China Sea and to resolve the issue peacefully.

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