US - Japan exercise amid China island dispute

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PressTV - US, Japan mull joint military drill to simulate retaking island: Report

The United States and Japan are considering a joint military maneuver in which their troops will simulate recapturing an uninhabited island from foreign forces, a report says.


Japan's Kyodo news agency on Saturday quoted unidentified sources in Tokyo as saying that the drill will be carried out in an uninhabited island in Okinawa before the broader joint exercises scheduled to kick off in early November.

The US and Japanese forces would use boats and helicopters to land on the island as a part of the maneuver, the Japanese news agency said.

The drill comes as Japan and China are gridlocked in a dispute over the sovereignty of a chain of islands, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and the Diaoyu in Chinese, in the East China Sea.

The uninhabited islands which sit on top of valuable resources are currently under Japan's administration but claimed by China and Taiwan, too.

The joint drill will be conducted in the tiny island of Irisunajima, which is in the East China Sea but hundreds of miles away from the disputed islands, the report said.

Trade between the two global economic heavyweights has faltered over the islands row.

The sales of Japanese cars nosedived in China in September with Japan's largest automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan experiencing drops of 48.9, 40.5 and 35.3 percent respectively compared with the same period in 2011.

As Japan's biggest trading partner, mainland China accounted for 20 percent of Japan's exports in 2011, according to Japan External Trade Organization.

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have eased in recent weeks but the US-Japan drill, if it really takes place, would definitely reignite the ashes of antagonism between the two powers.

Japan says its alliance with the United States has served as a deterrent in the territorial dispute although Washington has not adopted an official stance over the issue.

The United States "has been saying that they do not take a position on the sovereignty issue but have always stated that US-Japan security arrangements would cover those islands," said Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan's ambassador to Washington, on Thursday.

"I think that constitutes an important deterrence," he said at the Brookings Institution think tank.

 

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US And Japan May Hold A Drill To Simulate Attacking An Island Seized By Foreign Forces - Business Insider


US And Japan May Hold A Drill To Simulate Attacking An Island Seized By Foreign Forces

 

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Japan navy showcases warships amid spat with China | Nation & World | The Seattle Times

Japan navy showcases warships amid spat with China

Japan's navy marked its 60th anniversary with a major exercise intended to show off its maritime strength. The display comes amid a tense territorial dispute with China.

Japan's navy marked its 60th anniversary with a major exercise intended to show off its maritime strength. The display comes amid a tense territorial dispute with China.

About 40 ships - including state-of-the-art destroyers, hovercraft able to launch assaults on rough coastlines and new conventionally powered submarines - took part in Fleet Review 2012, the maritime equivalent of a military parade. About 30 naval aircraft, mostly helicopters, also participated Sunday.

Japan's navy was joined by warships from the United States, Singapore and Australia. Representatives from more than 20 countries, including China, also attended the event staged in waters south of Tokyo.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who watched aboard the destroyer JS Kurama, said Japan faces "severe" challenges to its security, though he did not specifically mention the dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.

Noda called on the sailors taking part in the exercise, which is held every three years but was expanded this year because of the 60th anniversary, to be prepared to face "new responsibilities" as the security situation around the country changes.

Japan's navy - formally called the Maritime Self-Defense Force - is among the best-equipped and best-trained in the world. As part of a post-World War II mutual defense pact, Japan also hosts the U.S. 7th Fleet, which includes the USS George Washington aircraft carrier battle group.

But Tokyo has been alarmed in recent years by the rise of neighboring China's naval forces, which some strategists say could upset the regional status quo and erode Japan's ability to credibly deter challenges to the freedom of key sea lanes.

Concerns over a growing assertiveness in China's foreign policy, meanwhile, have further fueled calls for Tokyo to beef up its military defenses.

Such fears have escalated this year amid the two countries' rival claims to the disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The islands are small and uninhabited, but are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and possibly lucrative reserves of natural gas.

Largely in response, Japan is strengthening its naval fleet by acquiring amphibious landing craft and is also mulling the purchase of unmanned drones to improve its offshore surveillance capabilities.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Against backdrop of island dispute with China, Japan shows off naval strength

Against backdrop of island dispute with China, Japan shows off naval strength

Japan's navy marked its 60th anniversary with a major exercise intended to show off its maritime strength. The display comes amid a tense territorial dispute with China.

About 40 ships — including state-of-the-art destroyers, hovercraft able to launch assaults on rough coastlines and new conventionally powered submarines — took part in Fleet Review 2012, the maritime equivalent of a military parade. About 30 naval aircraft, mostly helicopters, also participated Sunday.

Japan's navy was joined by warships from the United States, Singapore and Australia. Representatives from more than 20 countries, including China, also attended the event staged in waters south of Tokyo.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who watched aboard the destroyer JS Kurama, said Japan faces "severe" challenges to its security, though he did not specifically mention the dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.

Noda called on the sailors taking part in the exercise, which is held every three years but was expanded this year because of the 60th anniversary, to be prepared to face "new responsibilities" as the security situation around the country changes.

Japan's navy — formally called the Maritime Self-Defence Force — is among the best-equipped and best-trained in the world. As part of a post-World War II mutual defence pact, Japan also hosts the U.S. 7th Fleet, which includes the USS George Washington aircraft carrier battle group.

But Tokyo has been alarmed in recent years by the rise of neighbouring China's naval forces, which some strategists say could upset the regional status quo and erode Japan's ability to credibly deter challenges to the freedom of key sea lanes.

Concerns over a growing assertiveness in China's foreign policy, meanwhile, have further fueled calls for Tokyo to beef up its military defences.

Such fears have escalated this year amid the two countries' rival claims to the disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The islands are small and uninhabited, but are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and possibly lucrative reserves of natural gas.

Largely in response, Japan is strengthening its naval fleet by acquiring amphibious landing craft and is also mulling the purchase of unmanned drones to improve its offshore surveillance capabilities.




Read more: Against backdrop of island dispute with China, Japan shows off naval strength