Japan and the US will showcase its advanced weapons systems, including a 620-mile range missile, as they begin one of their largest joint exercises.
Around 45,000 Japanese troops and 12,000 American service members are believed to be participating in the biennial Keen Sword 27, a major drill focusing on the defence of Japan’s southwestern islands.
It comes in the face of rising tensions in the area, most notably between China.
Last year, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Chinese military action on Taiwan – a self-governing island that Beijing calls its own territory – could justify Japanese involvement. China’s foreign ministry warned Japan to “stop playing with fire” and urged its citizens to avoid travelling to the country in the “near future”.
Inside Keen Sword 27 - Japan and US’ joint exercise
On Monday, Keen Sword 27 officially kicked off, with seven other nations from the Indo-Pacific region and Europe also taking part in some elements of the exercises, according to Japan’s Joint Staff.
This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines.
It is reported that the exercises will run through 29 October and will largely focus on depending on Japan's southwestern islands waters around its northern coasts.
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 main locations for the exercise is Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island situated less than 70 miles east of Taiwan.
It is ‘essential to fully prepare’
For the first time, the drill will include the long-range Type-25 land-to-ship missile, although no test-firing is planned. This missile has a range of around 620 miles and is capable of reaching mainland China.
NMESIS, a U.S. ground-based offensive anti-ship missile system, and MADIS, a short-range surface-to-air system, are also deployed to Yonaguni for the first time for the exercise. A mobile rocket launching system, HIMARS, has been deployed on the nearby island of Ishigaki.
Despite growing tensions, General Hiroaki Uchikura, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, denied that the exercises target a specific country.
Tateki Taware from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force said that the country is not just trying to defend territories, but the peaceful lives of the people.
It is “essential to be fully prepared and cooperate with our allies and partners to prevent the crisis,” he said.
On Monday, Japanese and US troops were to conduct live fire exercises at a firing range on Oki-Daito, a small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean about 310 miles southeast of Okinawa.
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