The Mistral, France’s amphibious assault ship, arrived at a Japanese naval base on Saturday. The warship, which has two British Royal Navy helicopters on board, will take part in a joint drill with Japan and the US next month.
The French ship will lead the exercise in the Pacific near Guam, where the militaries of the four nations will practice landings around the island of Tinian. Some 700 troops will participate.
Japanese officials and children’s welcome dances greeted the Mistral in Sasebo in the Nagasaki prefecture, where Japan has a major Maritime Self-Defense Force base that also hosts US Navy warships. The French ship will remain there until May 5, Reuters reported.
The Mistral had been dispatched to Japan in January, long before tensions spiked in the region after the US threatened to use military force against North Korea unless it stops its nuclear and missile programs. The ship arrived a day after Pyongyang had conducted an unsuccessful ballistic missile test in defiance of international pressure.
