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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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Japan, a major United States security ally, will conduct a large-scale air, land and sea war game with its Pacific allies later this month amid China's growing military threat.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Japan plays a key role in containing China under the U.S. island chain strategy, which conceives three north-south defensive lines projecting military power to deter potential Chinese aggression by leveraging U.S. and allied territories across the western Pacific.
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China is rapidly building up its armed forces—including ballistic and cruise missiles capable of striking Japan and U.S. bases in the country—and expanding its military presence in the Pacific, particularly in waters around Japan, by deploying naval vessels.
The upcoming military exercise comes after Japan recently conducted war games with the U.S. and Australia, including Exercise Resolute Dragon 25 and Exercise Bushido Guardian 25, which featured missile systems and stealth fighter jets, respectively.
What To Know
The Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry said the Air, Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces are scheduled to hold a joint exercise from October 20 to 31 across the country, including U.S. military facilities and surrounding waters and airspace.
The war game will feature approximately 52,300 personnel, 4,180 vehicles, 60 ships and 310 aircraft from Japan's three military branches, while the U.S. and Australia will deploy about 5,900 and 230 personnel, respectively, to enhance trilateral cooperation.
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According to the announcement, the exercise will involve air, airborne, amphibious, land and maritime operations, aiming to practice the Japan Self-Defense Forces' joint operations for the defense of the country and to maintain and improve their capabilities.
Amphibious warfare—the ability to project military power from ship to shore—is a key capability in defending Japan, an archipelagic country of 14,125 islands, including the Senkaku Islands, which China claims as its territory, in the contested East China Sea.
It remains unclear whether Japan's newly acquired F-35B stealth fighter jets—designed to operate from aircraft carriers converted from helicopter carriers—will participate in the drill, as they are tasked with defending the country's outlying southwestern islands.
In addition to Japanese and U.S. military facilities, the exercise is planned to take place at civilian airports and seaports. Japan currently designates 14 airports and 26 seaports for "specified use" by the military and the coast guard in the event of a contingency.
What People Are Saying
The Joint Staff Office of Japan's Defense Ministry said in an announcement on Friday: "This exercise will maintain and improve the Self-Defense Forces' joint operational capabilities by conducting joint exercises between the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. U.S. and Australian forces will also participate in part of the training, aiming to improve interoperability between Japan, the United States, and Australia."
Japan's defense white paper 2025 read: "China's external posture, military activities, and other activities are a matter of serious concern for Japan and the international community and present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge which Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its ally, like-minded countries, and others."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether China and Russia will deploy military aircraft and vessels near Japan to gather intelligence during the Self-Defense Forces' joint exercise.
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