Japanese warship exercises with US aircraft carrier in northern South China Sea

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) has launched joint exercises with the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson strike group in the Philippine Sea, north of the South China Sea, while moving towards the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese destroyer Samidare (front) during a joint exercise with the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the East China Sea on March 9, 2017.

According to The Japan Times, MSDF destroyers Samidare and Ashigara participated in the exercise on April 23 while the US aircraft carrier strike group was still moving at sea.

Last month, MSDF warships conducted two joint exercises with the USS Carl Vinson in the East China Sea, but tensions on the Korean Peninsula once again forced the two allied navies to conduct emergency drills.

North Korea is set to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on April 25, and Pyongyang is expected to conduct a missile launch or even a nuclear test on such occasions.

US Vice President Mike Pence said on April 22 that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group is expected to enter the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan “in the next few days”. However, the movements of the above ships have been very unpredictable in recent days, as the US side has continuously “created a smokescreen” about the presence of the ship.

"Mirror east attack west" strategy

AFP reported on April 22 that an F/A-18 fighter jet crashed into the sea while about to land on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson while the ship was in the Celebes Sea, south of the Philippines on April 21.

Previously, after US President Donald Trump announced on April 12 that the above group of ships was being deployed to the Korean peninsula, on April 15 the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and its escort ships were discovered crossing the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java to the southern Indian Ocean.

In other words, on the day the world was anxiously watching Pyongyang’s parade, the US aircraft carrier was about 5,600 km from the Korean peninsula and about 800 km southeast of Singapore. Instead of heading towards the Korean peninsula after leaving Singapore on April 8, the ship was actually heading in the opposite direction to participate in exercises with Australia in the southern Indian Ocean.

It seems that the US Navy is using a trick of spreading information to mislead the location of this group of ships.

According to TNO