TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) will conduct trilateral naval exercises with the U.S. Navy and the South Korean Navy on Friday (Sept. 30), according to a press release by the JMSDF made on Thursday (Sept. 29).

The JMSDF press release states that exercises will involve maneuvers related to “anti-submarine warfare” and will take place in the Sea of Japan, approximately 150 kilometers from the Dokdo Islets. The purpose of the exercises is to strengthen cooperation between the three navies and to improve tactical capabilities.

The naval vessels participating in the exercise include the JS Asahi, the ROKS Mun Mu Daewang, the USS Ronald Reagan, the USS Chancellorsville, the USS Barry, and the USS Benfold.

This will be the first time in over five years that the three nations have conducted a trilateral joint naval drill, with the last such exercise taking place in 2017 near South Korea’s Jeju Island, reports KBS World News. The willingness of Japan and South Korea to conduct military exercises together may be seen as a sign of warming ties between the two nations under the respective administrations of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The trilateral anti-submarine exercises come shortly after bilateral “information exchange” exercises involving Japanese and U.S. naval forces, which were held in the East China Sea from Sept. 21 to Sept. 23.