Japanese submarine conducts first drills in South China Sea

TOKYO: A Japanese submarine has for the first time joined a naval drill in the South China Sea, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday, in an expansion of Japanese activity in the disputed waterway claimed by China and others. The submarine Kuroshio took part in the exercise on Thursday with other Japanese warships, including the Kaga helicopter carrier, which is on a two-month tour of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, a ministry spokesman said. It was the first time a Japanese submarine had conducted drills there. The exercise, which involved the submarine trying to evade detection, was conducted away from island bases built by China to push its claims in the strategic sea. However, the exercise could still anger China because submarines represent a greater potential menace to shipping than surface vessels.