UK Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Makes 1st Port Call In Japan

British aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth made its first port call in Japan on Saturday, aiming to showcase the two countries' defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region where China's military has been growing increasingly assertive.

Photo Insert: The HMS Queen Elizabeth coming off joint exercises with the United States and Japan in the Pacific.

Taking part in a joint exercise since Thursday with Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Canada, the flagship of Britain's Carrier Strike Group arrived at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, and is scheduled to depart next Thursday, Kyodo News reported.

The exercise is aimed at strengthening the participating countries' cooperation toward realizing the "free and open Indo-Pacific" initiative led by Tokyo and Washington in a veiled counter to Beijing which is locked in territorial disputes in the East and South China seas with neighboring countries.

Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander of the Carrier Strike Group, said in a Twitter video message that the visit is part of Britain's commitment to strengthen its "diplomatic, economic and security ties in the Indo-Pacific" area, vowing to take the bilateral relationship with Japan "to a whole new level."

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