The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) on 28 September 2024 deployed JS Sazanami to conduct a multilateral exercise with the Philippine Navy (PN), the United States Navy (USN), the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) as a part of the Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) in the South China Sea.

The five countries conducted a series of tactical exercises aimed at enhancing regional maritime security cooperation and advancing the realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).

The MCA underscores the multilateral commitments of the five countries in upholding the right of freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).