Japan, U.S., ROK Hold Joint Training; Nations Practice Combating Maritime, Aerial, Cyber Threats

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, November 15, 2024

Japan, the United States and South Korea held a three day joint multi-domain exercise called Freedom Edge through Friday. Some of the training were open to media organizations, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, on Thursday.

This was the second iteration of the exercise, covering domains including maritime, aerial and cyber defense. The first was held in June, following up on the nations’ August 2023 trilateral leaders summit. The exercise is intended to strengthen cooperation between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. and South Korean militaries at a time when tensions are growing East Asia.

During the latest drill, ships and aircraft from the three countries — including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, Aegis vessels from all three countries and U.S. and South Korean F-35 stealth fighter jets — were deployed to areas including the East China Sea southeast of South Korea’s Jeju Island off the southern end of Korean Peninsula.

In a training session that was open to the media on Thursday, American F-35Cs and other aircraft roared as they took off from and landed on the George Washington.

The exercises are based on a scenario involving complex threats such as ballistic missiles, cyberattacks, fighter jets and submarines. The three forces confirmed procedures for responding to these threats cooperatively to strengthen their deterrent and response capabilities.