Around 200 members of Japanese, US, and French troops held a joint military exercise in Miyazaki Prefecture on Saturday.

The military exercise consisted of simulating the defence of a remote island from an enemy invasion. The drill took place under heavy rain.

"We would like to express our heartfelt welcome to the visit of the training fleet 'Jeanne d'Arc' to Japan, and we believe that the strengthening cooperation among the SDF (Japan Self-Defense Forces), French and US forces through joint training on land and at sea is indispensable and very meaningful for the enhancement of deterrence and countermeasures around our country, as well as for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," said Col. Masashi Hiraki, from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

This marked the French military's first participation in a land drill in Japan.

The exercise aimed at highlighting multilateral cooperation in the wake of rising tensions with China in the regional seas.