Japan deploys self-defense fleet to Indo-Pacific with eye on China

Japan has dispatched a Maritime Self-Defense Force flotilla on a deployment to 11 Indo-Pacific countries and one foreign territory as part of joint naval exercises with the United States and other countries undertaken to counter a more assertive China.In the annual deployment that began last Monday and will run to Oct. 28, the MSDF fleet will make port calls in the Pacific island nations of the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji for the first time, according to the Defense Ministry.The fleet will also take part in the Rim of the Pacific exercise -- the world's largest multinational naval exerc…READ FULL ARTICLE