Japan, US, Australia eye ship deployment to Philippines for drill

Kyodo News

<p>MANILA/TOKYO - Japan, the United States and Australia are considering conducting a joint naval drill with the Philippines next week in the South China Sea, sources close to the matter said Friday.</p><p>The exercise, set for Wednesday, comes amid mounting tensions between China and the Philippines after a Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine military-chartered boat near the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea earlier this month.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/18/23/australian-pm-sets-official-visit-to-ph-in-september">Australian PM slated for an official visit to PH in September 2023</a></li></ul><p>The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has decided to send its largest destroyer, the Izumo, which is set to be upgraded to a de facto aircraft carrier, according to the sources.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MdlA2eVJRfk?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Japan, the United States and Australia are considering conducting a joint naval drill with the Philippines next week in the South China Sea, sources close to the matter said Friday.