Japan, US launch drills focusing on islands near Taiwan

Japanese and US troops on Monday started one of their largest joint exercises focusing on the defense of Japan’s southwestern islands and showcasing advanced weapons systems in the face of growing tension in the region.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) yesterday praised the inclusion of a Taiwan-related contingency scenario in the ongoing US-Japan exercises.

Speaking to reporters prior to a legislative session in Taipei, Koo said that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region has become a strong consensus within the global community.

The entrance to the Japanese Ministry of Defense in Tokyo is pictured on April 6.

Photo: Reuters

Democracies should share this responsibility, making the joint drills highly commendable, he said.

About 45,000 Japanese troops and 12,000 US service members are participating in the biennial Keen Sword 27.

Seven other nations from the Indo-Pacific region and Europe are also taking part in some elements of the exercises, five of them — France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines — for the first time, the Japanese Joint Staff Office said.

During the exercises, which run through Thursday next week, the Japanese and US militaries will largely focus on defending Japan’s southwestern islands and waters around its northern coasts as the country faces growing tension from China, North Korea and Russia.

Japan considers China’s rapidly growing military activities in and around Japan, including in the Pacific Ocean, as a threat and has fortified its southwestern region with longer-range missiles and interceptors in the past few years.

The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defense, mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima.

One of the key locations for the exercise is Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island just 110km east of Taiwan.

The Japan Self-Defense Force has introduced its first long-range Type-25 land-to-ship missile to Yonaguni during the drill, although no test-firing is planned. The missile has a range of about 1,000km and can reach China.

The US Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System and the Marine Air Defense Integrated System are also deployed to Yonaguni for the first time for the exercise. A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System has been deployed on the nearby island of Ishigaki.

Japanese Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff General Hiroaki Uchikura denied that the exercises target a specific country.

At a ceremony on Ishigaki, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Admiral Tateki Tawara said that what they are trying to defend is not just the territory, but the peaceful lives of the people.

“In order to do so, it is essential to be fully prepared and cooperate with our allies and partners to prevent the crisis,” Tawara said.

Japan’s ties with China came under strain following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment a year ago, when she said Chinese military action on Taiwan could justify Japanese involvement.