A U.S. Navy strike group arrived in the Sea of Japan over the weekend on its way toward the Korean Peninsula as tensions between North Korea and the U.S. and its allies remained high.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier led the fleet sailing through the strait off Nagasaki Prefecture on Saturday along with Japanese and U.S. destroyers, reported Japan news media outlet NHK. The fleet conducted joint drills with Japanese ships as they continued their progress.
The Hill reported that North Korea launched what was believed to be a test of a medium-range ballistic missile on Saturday. U.S. and South Korean officials said the missile blew up over North Korean territory shortly after takeoff.
The naval strike team's move into the Sea of Japan is the latest in the chess game between the U.S. and the reclusive North Korea regime. Last week, North Korea marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces carry out a large-scale firing drill around the eastern port city of Wonsan, according to South Korea's military, reported Kyodo News.
The U.S. and its allies feared that North Korea would conduct another nuclear test or major missile launch, but it didn't, said Kyodo.
Japan and the U.S. held joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan last week before the arrival of the USS Carl Vision, which was in the Philippine Sea, noted Kyodo.
The guided-missile destroyer Fitzgerald was part of last week's exercise, Japanese officials told Kyodo. The Fitzgerald, part of the U.S. 7th Fleet and based at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture, was reportedly already in the Sea of Japan monitoring North Korea prior to the exercise.
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