Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, along with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (second from left) and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso (second from right), tours the USS Ronald Reagan, led by commanding officer Christopher Bolt (fourth from right) in Sagami Bay, off Kanagawa Prefecture, on Sunday afternoon. | POOL/KYODO
Wall Street Journal: Japanese Navy Flexes Muscles in Regional Fleet Review
South Korea takes part in military exercise despite tensions between the two countries
YOKOSUKA, Japan—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presided over a show of naval strength on Sunday with Japanese allies and boarded a U.S. aircraft-carrier, a symbolic visit after the passage of widely criticized security legislation in September.
At a fleet review, the Maritime Self-Defense Force—Japan’s navy—mobilized nearly 40 vessels including the Izumo, Japan’s largest warship since World War II, which went into service in March. Overhead, anti-submarine patrol planes dropped depth bombs and an acrobatic flight team sketched circles in the sky.
“Threats can easily come by crossing borders. A country can no longer protect itself on its own,” Mr. Abe said in a speech to thousands of servicemen and servicewomen aboard the destroyer Kurama.
Update: Japan shows off naval power as U.S. signals wider engagement in western Pacific -- Reuters
WNU editor: Talk about sending a message .... Abe becomes first sitting Japanese leader to board U.S. aircraft carrier (Reuters/Japan Times/Kyodo)
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