Japanese carrier drills with British warship heading to contested South China Sea

British frigate HMS Argyll (front), Japanese destroyer Inazuma (C) and Japanese helicopter carrier Kaga take part in a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean, September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

ABOARD THE KAGA, Indian Ocean (Reuters) - Japan's biggest warship, the Kaga helicopter carrier, joined naval drills with Britain's HMS Argyll in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday as the frigate headed toward the contested South China Sea and East Asia.

Britain, Japan and close ally the United States have found common cause in countering growing Chinese influence in the region, to keep key sealanes linking Asia to Europe, the United States and elsewhere from falling under Beijing's sway.