TOKYO - The Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military began a joint exercise Monday across Japan, with more than 50,000 members taking part in it, as the two allies beef up their response and deterrence capabilities amid China's growing military assertiveness in the region.
The Keen Sword field exercise, held once every two years or so, will run through Oct. 29 and will also mobilize Japan's long-range Type-25 surface-to-ship guided missile for the first time following its deployment to an SDF base in March.
At the ceremony to mark the start of the exercise, Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander of the SDF Joint Operations Command, said, "To protect a peaceful daily life, it is important not only to respond after a crisis occurs but also to cooperate with allied and like-minded countries to prevent the crisis itself in advance."
The ceremony at Ishigaki Island, about 270 kilometers from Taiwan, was not open to media, but the Defense Ministry later made public photos of the event as well as Tawara's address on its website and social media.
Around 45,000 SDF members and some 12,000 from the U.S. military will participate in the exercise, which will see drills take place on land, at sea and in the air as well as space and cyber domains. In addition to deepening Japan-U.S. coordination, it will also help the forces taking part prepare for potential military attacks.
Seven other countries are also taking part in the exercise, with five of them, including France and Germany, taking part for the first time.
While Japan and the United States look to demonstrate their strong coordination, the exercise comes just a few weeks after the arrest of a U.S. Marine for the alleged murder-robbery of an Okinawa woman, which could rekindle anti-U.S. base sentiment among locals in the southern prefecture hosting the bulk of U.S. military installations in Japan.
The opening ceremony was initially set to be open to the media. But a Japanese Defense Ministry source said plans were changed out of consideration for the sentiment of local residents as well as other factors.
The Type-25 missile will feature in a simulated drill in which a target is detected and fired upon.
The missile can be fired from a vehicle-mounted launcher and has a flight range of approximately 1,000 kilometers, putting some coastal areas of mainland China within reach.
Four related vehicles have been transferred from the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kengun in Kumamoto to Onohara Maneuver Area straddling Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, all in southwestern Japan.
In the face of security challenges posed by China and North Korea, including Pyongyang's advancing nuclear and missile development programs, Japan has been moving to acquire counterstrike capabilities and boost its defense spending in a dramatic shift in its postwar security policy under the nation's war-renouncing Constitution.
