U.S., Japan to conduct joint military drill for island defense
21/10/14
Japanese
Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers ride on a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled
vehicle (Humvee) during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at
Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo, August 19, 2014.
Japan said on Tuesday it would hold a bilateral military exercise
with the United States
in November to ensure smooth joint operations between the two countries'
militaries and bolster island defense capabilities.
The field drill,
called "Keen Sword", is held every two years. It comes as Japan is engaged in a bitter island row with China,
which is rapidly ramping up military spending, and amid concern over North Korea's
nuclear and missile programs.
The joint
exercise, set to run from Nov. 8 through Nov. 19, is not targeted at any
particular country, a Japanese Defence Ministry official said. About 10,000 U.S. troops and
30,700 Japanese service men and women will participate in the drill.
The maritime
portion of "Keen Sword" will be held east of Japan's major southern island
of Kyushu, but not in the East China Sea, which lies to the
other side of the island, the Defence Ministry said.
Tension between China and Japan
flared after Tokyo in 2012 nationalized three of
the disputed East China Sea islands, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Patrol ships and
military aircraft from both countries have routinely shadowed each other near
the tiny, uninhabited islands since then, stoking fears that an unintended
collision or other incident could develop into a larger clash.
Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe took a historic step away from Japan's post-war pacifism in July
by ending a ban that has kept its military from fighting abroad.
The move was
welcomed by the United States,
Japan's security ally, but
angered China, whose ties
with Japan
have frayed over the territorial dispute and the legacy of past Japanese
military aggression.
All comments [ 10 ]
Maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea are arguably among the most pressing security issues facing the Asia Pacific.
the role of the tensions in regional politics, the implications of international law in managing differences, and new ideas for how the disputes could be set aside to begin joint development of resources.
Managing Tensions in the South China Sea will provide an important opportunity for U.S. and Japan policymakers, business executives, and academics to meet with experts on the South China Sea to discuss the dispute and options for lessening the tensions.
In the past two decades, Japan has become all too synonymous with decline, hobbled by anemic growth, dysfunctional politics and death-spiral demographics.
Japan is among the very few Asian powers with considerable untapped capacity not only to shoulder a greater share of its own defense but also to help the United States reinforce broader regional security — provided it can summon the political will to do so.
The Obama administration has responded to Chinese-Japanese tensions over the Senkakus with appropriate caution, expressing support for its allies in Tokyo while urging “cooler heads to prevail.”
a rare window of opportunity to take the U.S.-Japan alliance to the next level.
Washington should strongly encourage the tough reforms that will allow Tokyo to play a larger role on the world stage.
But even a partial reversal, or deceleration, of Japan’s decline could make a big difference to the Asian balance of power and to the U.S. position in the region.
All they have done today is awaken a great, sleeping giant.
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