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Ships of the US, Japanese and Canadian navies sail in formation in waters off Japan during the 2020 joint military exercise. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
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Japan, US kick off mega military drills with China in mind

  • About 36,000 defence personnel from both countries will take part in exercise ‘Keen Sword’ amid concerns about Beijing’s maritime assertiveness in Indo-Pacific
  • Warships and jets from Australia, Canada and Britain will also join the biennial drills
Japan
Kyodo
Kyodo
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The Japanese Self-Defence Forces and the US military on Thursday began a large-scale joint exercise mainly in and around Japan’s southwestern islands, in an effort to boost their operational capability in those areas, with China’s intensifying military activities in mind.

The exercise, called “Keen Sword,” is expected to last until November 19 and will involve about 26,000 personnel from the Japanese Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defence Forces and around 10,000 US soldiers, including those from the Space Force, according to the Japanese defence ministry.

Drills simulating the defence of remote islands will be focused on Tokunoshima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, with Japanese and US Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft deployed there, the ministry said.

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A total of four warships and two aeroplanes from Australia, Canada and Britain will also join the drills, which are in principle held biennially. From Japan and the United States, some 20 and 10 vessels and about 250 and 120 aircraft will take part, respectively, according to the ministry.

The ministry said the exercises are aimed at strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the SDF and US forces in dealing with contingencies, as they oppose any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force.

Tokyo and Washington have been increasingly concerned about Beijing’s maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, including Chinese vessels’ repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters near the Tokyo-administered islands claimed by China, known as Diaoyu/Senkaku.

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Japan, Australia to share intelligence on ‘China’s intentions’ under new security pact

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China has also intensified military activities near Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island which the communist country regards as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Exercises will also involve responding to ballistic missiles, as well as operations in new defence areas such as outer space and cyberspace, the ministry said.

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