Seoul, Sept. 7 -- The United States, South Korea and Japan commenced a five-day trilateral military exercise on Monday, proceeding as planned despite recent reductions to key Seoul-Washington exercises following directives from US President Donald Trump.

The multidomain Freedom Edge exercise initiated operations in international waters located east and south of Jeju Island, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced via an official press release.

"The three nations will leverage the drills to enhance operational capabilities and joint response capabilities across multiple domains, including maritime, air and cyber, while maintaining a robust and stable cooperative relationship," the JCS stated.

The manoeuvres deploy major n...