The government staged earthquake drills Friday involving about 800,000 people across the country in a bid to improve disaster preparedness, and the U.S. frigate USS Gary also took part.

This year's drills focused on ways to cope with big quakes under a scenario that a magnitude 7.3 temblor hits under Tokyo Bay in an 8.0 quake hits Suruga Bay in central Japan.

The U.S. 7th Fleet frigate carried about 30 metro government employees from Tokyo's Harumi Pier to Yokosuka port, Kanagawa Prefecture.