The launch happened hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal.
Lloyd Austin will host his Japanese counterpart Wednesday for face-to-face talks about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as the war’s ripple effect creates fresh tensions between Tokyo and Moscow.
A carrier strike group has not operated in those waters since 2017, and the operations follow North Korea test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile last month.