JS INAZUMA conducted Japan-U.S. bilateral exercise with A. LINCOLN CSG

From April 8 to 18, the JS INAZUMA of the Escort Division 11, around Japan in the sea area (Sea of Japan, East China Sea, Western Pacific), the U.S. and Japan conducted bilateral exercise together with the U.S. Navy ABRAHAM LINCOLN Carrier Strike Group.
The Japanese commander of the Escort Division 11, Captain INABA Tadayuki, said, “We were able to improve our tactical skills and interoperability with the U.S. Navy through this bilateral practical exercise with the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group. The JMSDF and the U.S. Navy work closely together to maintain and improve our joint response capabilities to various contingencies.”
In the vicinity of our country, there has been an increasing number of unilateral actions attempting to change the status quo by coercion without paying respect to existing international law. These threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and are absolutely unacceptable.
The Self-Defense Fleet maintains readiness to respond and contributes to the defense of Japan based on the deterrence and response capabilities of the strong Japan-U.S. alliance, and contributes to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region in cooperation with many nations that share our fundamental values toward the realization of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”