Japan sends three vessels to South China Sea in anti-submarine exercise

TOKYO/BEIJING, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Maritime
Self-defense Force conducted anti-submarine drills in the South
China Sea on Oct. 9, deploying three vessels including a
helicopter aircraft carrier and a submarine, according to the
Japanese defence ministry.
The purpose of the exercise was "to boost their tactical
capability", the ministry said in a statement, without giving
more details on the geographical location of the drills.
The three vessels will stop at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam over
the weekend to replenish supplies, the statement said.
The ministry could not be immediately reached for further
comment.
Nearly all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea
are claimed by China, which has established military outposts on
artificial islands in the area. Brunei, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the
sea.
The United States has accused China of militarising the
South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who
might want to exploit the area's extensive oil and gas reserves.
China's state-backed Global Times newspaper, noting the
latest Japanese drills, said on Saturday that the frequent
conducting of military activities in the South China Sea is not
conducive to the security and stability of the area, and is
firmly opposed by China.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army has always kept a high
level of alert, defending China's national sovereignty, security
and development interests, said the newspaper, which is
published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of
China's ruling Communist Party.
The Global Times said Japanese warships had recently carried
out activities in the South China Sea, with a helicopter
aircraft carrier spotted on satellite on Sept. 5.
On Friday, a Chinese military spokesperson said the U.S.
destroyer John McCain had entered waters around the disputed
Paracel Islands in the South China Sea without China's
permission, and urged the United States to stop "such
provocative actions".