Japan's navy exercises off the Russian-occupied Kuril Islands for the first time

Japan's navy exercises off the Russian-occupied Kuril Islands for the first time

Japan - Six warships from the US, Japanese and Canadian navies conducted a week-long exercise in the north-west Pacific in August, stretching from the Russian-controlled Kuril Islands to the waters off Tokyo.

Multinational and joint

Noble Chinook (Noble Wind) was part of a joint exercise that included manoeuvre and navigation exercises in addition to various surface combatant scenarios. The exercise was part of Large-Scale Global Exercise 23 (LSGE 23), according to a U.S. 7th Fleet spokesperson. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) conducted LSGE 23 as a planned exercise from May to August 2023 and included all six U.S. branches (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Space Forces).

The opportunity was also taken to deepen interoperability with allies and partner nations across the Indo-Pacific region and demonstrate a robust presence and enduring strength of regional partnerships. The message is a shared commitment to stability, peace and prosperity in the region.

Ships involved

The guided missile destroyer USS "Benfold" (Arleigh Burke class), the US coast guard cutter "Kimball", the helicopter carrier JS "Hyuga" of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), the Canadian guided missile frigates HMCS "Vancouver" and "Ottawa" (both Halifax class) and the Canadian supply ship MV "Asterix" are taking part in Noble Chinook.

Training area

The sea area stretched from the Tokyo metropolitan area to the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled archipelago between the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. It was the first time the Japanese navy had exercised near the Kuril Islands, a JMSDF spokesman told Stars and Stripes.

History

The four southernmost islands of the Kuril archipelago have changed hands several times over the last two centuries and have been under Russian administration since the occupation by the Soviet Union in 1945. Japan considers the four islands to be its northern territories. The dispute continues to prevent the signing of a formal peace treaty between Russia and Japan.

Source: Stars and Stipes, US Indo-Pacific Command