Overview

• The trilateral drills off Kagoshima Prefecture this week simulated a high-seas collision, onboard fire and man-overboard rescue to test joint emergency protocols.
• About 350 personnel from Japan, the United States and the Philippines took part in the week-long exercises focused on interoperability and crisis management.
• Exercises follow Japan’s confirmation that two Chinese aircraft carriers operated together in the Pacific for the first time this month and recent near-misses between Chinese jets and Japanese reconnaissance flights.
• Officials say the maneuvers support a free and open Indo-Pacific by bolstering maritime domain awareness as China increases patrols around disputed islands.
• Japan has logged 214 consecutive days of Chinese vessels near the Senkaku/Diaoyu islets, underscoring growing tensions that have driven deeper trilateral cooperation.