Following a string of recent Chinese incursions into disputed waters, Japanese troops conducted large-scale, live-fire drills simulating the recapture of islands Sunday.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (SDF) held a major drill near Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture. The drill involved land, air, and sea forces and focused on operations for retaking a captured island, reports the Nikkei Asian Review.
Around 80 vehicles, 60 artillery pieces, 20 aircraft, and 2,400 armed military personnel took part in the exercise. Roughly 36 tons of ammunition were fired during the drill.
During the drill, F-2 fighters engaged imaginary enemy ships. Helicopters conducted battlefield reconnaissance as vehicles rushed into combat. Troops fired mortars and anti-tank weapons during an armored assault that included the Type 10 tank, the Japanese SDF’s newest tank.
The nature of Sunday’s drill is likely a response to recent Chinese actions near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, territories in the East China Sea claimed by China but administered by Japan.
Scores of Chinese fishing vessels accompanied by several armed coast guard ships entered Japanese-controlled waters earlier this month, triggering strong protests from Tokyo. China has also sent a number of military aircraft near the contested islets. A Chinese frigate passed through the area in June.
In its latest defense white paper, Japan expressed concerns over Chinese assertiveness and aggressiveness at sea, arguing that China is “poised to fulfill its unilateral demands without compromise.”
Responding to perceived Chinese provocations, Japan is preparing to create a missile defense shield around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands by upgrading and increasing the ranges of its surface-to-ship and surface-to-air missiles on Miyako Island in Okinawa and Amami Oshima in Kagoshima.
These upgrades will be supported by what is expected to be a record-breaking FY 2017 national defense budget of $52 billion.
The Mount Fuji exercise has been conducted every year since 1966, reports the Nikkei Asian Review. Japan’s SDF first turned the drill into an island warfare exercise in 2012.
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