A joint exercise by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Indian navy took place Saturday in the Indian Ocean off Chennai, India.
It is the second exercise of its kind since June last year and the first to be staged in India. The exercise is focused primarily on securing sea lanes and improving coordination in anti-piracy operations.
Given that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is slated to make an official visit to India in January, the exercise is seen as aimed at checking China's increasing assertiveness in regional waters.
The exercise is planned to last two days. Two MSDF guided missile destroyers, the Ariake and Setogiri, as well as the Indian navy's stealth frigate Satpura, guided missile destroyer Ranvijay and missile corvette Kuthar are taking part.