(CNN) Japan's largest warship will set sail this summer to train with naval ships from the United States and India as part of the annual "Malabar" joint exercise, a Pentagon official told CNN on Monday.

The addition of the Izumo helicopter carrier, which specializes primarily in anti-submarine missions, marks a rare show of naval force from Japan amid growing tensions across Asia and highlights the Trump administration's intention to maintain a cooperative military presence in the region.

The Malabar military exercises have taken place on a rotational basis in the West Pacific and Indian oceans since Japan became a regular participant in 2007.

To get to the Indian Ocean, the shortest route will take the Izumo through the contested South China Sea.

China has already made its dissatisfaction with the exercises clear. In December, a Global Times editorial said the exercises would "jeopardize the peace and stability in the (region)."

The 2017 exercises comes at a time of high tension in the Asia region.

North Korean missiles that fell in waters off Japan last week brought new fears in Tokyo about what Kim Jong Un's regime has planned. North Korea said the tests were carried out by the military unit tasked with taking on US military bases in Japan.

Japan and China have locked horns over the Senkaku Islands, the Tokyo-administered chain claimed by Beijing, which refers to them as the Diaoyu Islands.

Then there is the dispute in the South China Sea, particularly Beijing's continued building of man-made islands that has ratcheted up tensions with US allies in the region.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have also been critical of China's actions in the South China Sea.

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"Building islands and then putting military assets on those islands is akin to Russia's taking of Crimea. It's taking of territory that others lay claim to," Tillerson said in his confirmation hearing.

"We're going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops, and second, your access to those islands (is) also not going to be allowed."

Secretary Tillerson will visit Asia this week, with stops planned in South Korea, China and Japan.

Next month, Trump plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a senior administration official told CNN Monday.

"The US wants to, and I think it needs to, be seen as responsive to developments in the region," said Yvonne Chiu, a professor at Hong Kong University.

Reuters first reported the Izumo's addition to the large-scale exercises.

Japan's pacifist constitution limits its offensive firepower, but the 816-foot Izumo is one of Japan's few tools that allow it to project military power beyond the defense of its own territories.

Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japan Self-Defense Force tanks and other armored vehicles take part in an exercise at the military's East Fuji Maneuver Area on August 25, 2016, in Gotemba, Japan. Japan has one tank division and three armored infantry divisions. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Members of the the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force attend the annual review at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Asaka on October 23, 2016. Japan has 151,000 soldiers in its Ground Self-Defense Force. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japanese Air Self-Defense Force maintainers pose for a photo November 28, 2106, during the arrival of the first Japanese F-35A at Luke Air Force Base Arizona. The F-35 will give Japan a fifth-generation fighter. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Air servicemen of the Japan Self-Defense Force walk past a F-15J/DJ fighter aircraft (L) and a F-2 A/B fighter aircraft (R) on a runway prior to a review ceremony at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Hyakuri air base in Omitama, Ibaraki prefecture on October 26, 2014. Japan has 552 combat capable aircraft. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force guided-missile destroyer JS Ashigara, front, and the US Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry patrol in the Philippine Sea. The US alliance is a key to Japan military strength. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship Kurama leads other ships during a fleet review off Sagami Bay, Kanagawa prefecture, on October 18, 2015. Japan has 47 surface combatants. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces submarines are moored at a pier in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture on April 12, 2016. Japan has 18 submarines. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces Japanese helicopter carrier Ise, one of Japan's biggest warships, is towed as it prepares to dock at the former US naval base at Subic Bay, Philippines, on April 26, 2016. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Forces A Japanese LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) hovercraft from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship JS Hyuga during the Dawn Blitz 2015 exercise off the coast of Southern California on September 3, 2015. Japan is developing amphibious forces that can retake Pacific islands. Hide Caption 9 of 9

The addition of the Izumo to the already large-scale exercises underscores that Japan's anti-submarine warfare capabilities are key to attempting to deter Chinese expansion in the region, some analysts said.

"Subsurface detection and reaction is a Japanese strength in both technological and operational terms, and a Chinese weakness, even if (China) quantitatively has a larger subsurface fleet," said Corey Wallace, a security analyst at Freie University in Berlin.

Japan has excellent submarine hunting vessels, helicopter carriers and sub-hunting aircraft and a surprisingly long history of using them, Wallace said, even helping the US keep the Soviet Pacific subsurface fleet "bottled up" in the North Pacific during the Cold War.

Despite plans for the Izumo to train with US ships as part of Malabar, the US Navy declined to comment on whether the Japanese vessel would be deployed to the contentious South China Sea.

"The US Navy does not comment on Japanese Navy movements," a Navy official said.

The Japanese government did not respond to a request for comment.

Japan does not have any claim over the disputed waters, but China's growing military presence has fueled concerns in Tokyo and prompted a pledge to increase patrol and training activities in the area.

The South China Sea dispute will likely be discussed during Tillerson's trip to Asia this week and when Xi visits Trump in Florida.