US Carl Vinson trains with Japanese destroyers
Two Japanese destroyers joined the USS Carl Vinson and two other US warships as they continued their journey north in the western Pacific Ocean, the US Navy said in a statement.
The Vinson had cancelled a scheduled visit to Australia to divert toward North Korea in a show of force, though it still conducted a curtailed training exercise with Australia before doing so. Tensions are elevated on the Korean Peninsula, with the Trump administration saying that all options are on the table, and indications that North Korea may be preparing to test a nuclear weapon or long-range missile.
Two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers left Sasebo port in southern Japan on Friday to join the Vinson strike group. The US group also includes a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer.
The Navy called the exercise "routine" and said it is designed to improve combined maritime response and defense capabilities, as well as joint maneuvering proficiency.
The Vinson group has conducted three previous bilateral exercises with the Japanese navy since leaving San Diego on January 5 for a western Pacific deployment. The most recent one was in March.
US Vice President Mike Pence and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull are joining forces in urging China to do more to pressure North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program.
Turnbull said at a joint news conference with Pence in Sydney on Saturday that China has the opportunity and "responsibility" to use its economic leverage to force China into compliance.
He said the "eyes of the world are on Beijing."
Pence added that "all options" remain on the table but the US is "quietly confident" that China will pressure North Korea on its weapons program.