‘A big deal’: the military drills showing Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China

Japan’s participation in annual US-Philippine military exercises is a “big deal”, because it shows how Tokyo is taking a bigger role in regional groupings that could face off with China, according to analysts. More than 7,000 soldiers from the United States and Philippine armies are taking part in this year’s Salaknib drill, a joint annual exercise that started on the north of Luzon island on Monday. The exercise aims to “enhance combat readiness and interoperability between the two armies, focusing on a wide spectrum of military operations”, according to the US Army. This year, about 420 personnel from Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force joined the drill for the first time, along with soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. It is the first time that combat-ready Japanese troops have deployed in the Philippines since Japan’s occupation of the country during World War II. The first phase of the Salaknib exercise will run until April 17. A few days later, the larger Balikatan US-Philippines exercises will begin, involving all branches of the two nations’ militaries. Japan is also set to join the annual Balikatan, sending both ground and naval units. Last month, the Philippine military announced that at least 1,000 Japanese personnel were expected to take part in the Balikatan alongside peers from Canada, Australia, France and New Zealand, making it one of the largest editions in the drill’s history. Japan has dispatched observers to Balikatan since 2012. Last year, it took part with 150 personnel and a frigate. This year’s Balikatan drills will last until May 8, after which the second phase of Salaknib exercises will begin. It is not yet clear how many Japanese troops will participate in that phase. Tokyo’s increasing role in these drills comes after the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement took effect in September last year, allowing the deployment of the two countries’ troops in each other’s territories for joint training, disaster relief and maritime security. Military cooperation between the two countries has been increasing along with their simmering tensions with China in recent years. Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said Beijing might see Japan’s participation in the exercises as a “rehearsal” for involvement in a Taiwan contingency alongside the US. He said that this enlarged role came as relations with Beijing have been soured by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on how Tokyo could intervene militarily in such a contingency. Koh predicted that Japanese troops’ involvement in the drills would be gradually stepped up to test Beijing’s reaction. “[It] is very hard to ignore that when the US is somewhat distracted in the Middle East, and thereby leaving what we will usually call a [military] vacuum … you will require regional allies to step up to the plate,” Koh said. Tokyo’s decision also follows a shift in Washington’s regional strategy. The White House released a new national security strategy in December, which emphasised the role its local allies should play in defending the first island chain. The first island chain refers to a series of islands and archipelagos along the eastern edge of mainland Asia stretching from Japan through the Philippines. It is part of a US containment strategy to restrict Chinese military access to the Pacific Ocean, an approach that Washington has sought to maximise in recent years. The strategy document said the US “must urge” countries such as Japan and South Korea to do more to “deter adversaries and protect the first island chain”, which includes denying “any attempt to seize Taiwan” and protecting critical shipping lanes in the South China Sea. Gregory Poling, director of the Southeast Asia programme and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Japan’s participation in the drills was a “big deal” that spoke to the normalisation of the Japanese military’s role in regional security and the “elevation of Japan-Philippine ties to that of quasi-allies”. “All of these partners are increasingly like-minded in the way they view collective deterrence of China, especially in the maritime domain, and the idea that the entire first island chain must be viewed as a single theatre,” Poling said. “There are, of course, still differences in views – Japan is much more forward-leaning on the importance of deterring aggression against Taiwan – but all are moving in the same direction.” Poling added that while Japan and Australia could not replace the US role in deterring China from taking action against the Philippines in the South China Sea, the two countries remained significant contributors. Kei Koga, an associate professor in public policy and global affairs at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the Philippines was a particularly important partner for Japan as they shared concerns over maritime trade routes, as well as the “potential fallout” from a Taiwan contingency. “The exercise is not just about military coordination for regional balance of power, but a signal of the increasingly close strategic alignment between Japan and the Philippines.” Koga added that while these joint exercises did not immediately strengthen deterrence against China, they could improve interoperability among the participating countries over the longer term, which could prove valuable in the event of a regional contingency. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming Taiwan.

‘A big deal’: the military drills showing Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Combat-ready Japanese troops are being deployed in the Philippines for the first time since Japan’s occupation of the country during World War II

Combat-ready Japanese troops are being deployed in the Philippines for the first time since Japan’s occupation of the country during World War II