The Yomiuri Shimbun
Thursday January 19, 2023
Courtesy of the Defense Ministry Joint Staff. MSDF destroyer Suzutsuki, foreground, is seen during a drill with French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and a French Navy carrier strike group led by its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle have conducted joint drills in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia and in the northern Arabian Sea, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.
According to the ministry, the drills took place from Jan. 9 through Saturday with MSDF destroyer Suzutsuki — which has been deployed to the area for anti-piracy operations — four French Navy vessels and a U.S. Navy vessel.
The drills’ purpose was to strengthen cooperation between the MSDF and French and U.S. navies, and procedures were confirmed for defending naval vessels from attacks from the air.