China and Russia have dispatched intelligence-gathering vessels from their navies to chase the USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is heading toward waters near the Korean Peninsula, multiple sources of the Japanese government revealed to The Yomiuri Shimbun. It appears that both countries aim to probe the movements of the United States, which is showing a stance of not excluding military action against North Korea.

The Self-Defense Forces are strengthening warning and surveillance activities in the waters and airspace around the area, according to the sources. The aircraft carrier strike group, composed of the Carl Vinson at its core with guided-missile destroyers and other vessels, is understood to be around the East China Sea and heading north toward waters near the Korean Peninsula. READ MORE