Japan’s Defense Ministry says that its Self-Defense Forces will conduct a 10-day field training exercise in the country together with US forces in October.
The SDF and US forces have conducted a major field training exercise in Japan once every two years under scenarios of defending the country.
The ministry says the upcoming 10-day exercise will start from October 23, involving a total of approximately 45,000 personnel from the SDF and US forces.
The exercise will take place at eleven of the airports and seaports that were designated this year by the government to facilitate their use by the SDF, as well as the Japan Coast Guard, as part of the country’s efforts to enhance preparedness for contingencies.
The ministry says that Air SDF fighter jets will conduct take-off and landing practices at Kumamoto Airport and Nagasaki Airport in southern Japan for the first time.
Maritime SDF patrol planes will be deployed to Kitakyushu Airport, and Ground SDF’s Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft will fly to Naha Airport for the first time.
The ministry also says SDF and US troops will be transported by sea using two ports in Hokkaido in northern Japan, namely Tomakomai and Kushiro.
At Ishigaki Port in Okinawa, drills will be held to identify any problems that may exist in refueling Maritime SDF ships there. Drills will also be conducted for practicing the transfer of injured people from southwestern remote islands to hospitals on the Honshu mainland.
The Defense Ministry says that the field training exercise is aimed at enhancing Japan-US joint deterrence capabilities to respond to any contingency, based on the strong resolve never to allow any attempts to change the status quo through the use of force.