TOKYO (Dispatches) - The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is conducting joint exercises with the Japan self-defense forces in the Sea of Japan with a view to contain North Korea, according to a report.
The U.S. 7th Fleet and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force said Wednesday they conducted a joint naval exercise at the Sea of Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was the first time the U.S. aircraft carrier held the exercise in the area.
The decision to conduct the exercises was made amid fears of new missile launches by North Korea in anticipation of the 110th birthday of the country’s late founding leader Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong-un.
This is the first spotting of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the Sea of Japan since 2017, when Pyongyang conducted atomic tests and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that the ongoing joint exercise is “aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Japan and the United States, and is not keeping in mind a specific country. … We will continue to strengthen deterrence and response capability of the Japan-U.S. alliance and to do utmost for the defense of our country.”
Some experts say the North’s recent missile tests were meant to perfect its weapons technology, boost its leverage in future negotiations with the U.S. and secure stronger internal loyalty. They say North Korea could soon conduct another ICBM launch, a launch of a satellite-carrying rocket or a test of a nuclear device in coming weeks.