The United States and Japan have decided to conduct large-scale joint drills to protect the Senkaku Islands and counter China’s aggressiveness in the East China Sea.
According to media reports, Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces would join the US Marines and Air Force in an exercise to defend the Japanese-administered Senkakus, which are claimed by China as Diaoyu.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi stressed the need for joint drills during a TV program aired on Friday in local media. “We need to improve our capability through joint drills and demonstrate our presence,” he said.
In February, China adopted a law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign ships. Since then, Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly sailed into Japanese waters near the islets.
The drills come after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Japanese counterparts Toshimitsu Motegi and Kishi in “two-plus-two” talks in Tokyo last week and confirmed plans to conduct exercises in the area.
Senior US and Japanese officials during high-level security talks discussed their shared concerns over China’s “disruptive” activities in the Indo-Pacific region and committed to opposing coercion behaviour towards others in the region.