Tokyo : For the first time, Japan is hosting joint military drills with Australia, France and the United States, organised in the Kyushu region. The exercises, including participation from the Army, Navy and Air Force, are to continue for a week. Military think tanks from Japan have claimed the joint exercises between the four democracies from the Indo-Pacific are in response to the aggressive Chinese activities in the region. According to the Japanese think tank, the drills are a part of the aggressive defence policy planned by the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The war exercise ‘Jeanne D’Arc 2021’ started in the Kyushu region in southwest Japan. Nearly 300 soldiers, fighter jets, helicopters, ten destroyers and submarines are participating in the exercise. It also includes the US amphibious destroyer USS New Orleans. Japan is scheduled to hold war exercises with different countries throughout the year. The Jeanne D’Arc 2021 is the first exercise on the list. At the end of the year, Japan will be conducting war exercises with the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and a German warship. Therefore, the Japanese Navy is set to improve its war preparedness and capabilities over the next few months through the exercises.
As Chinese activities in the South and the East China Sea increased alarmingly, Japan made aggressive changes to its defence policies. They were planned during the tenure of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Analysts say the war exercises are being held as per this plan. Takashi Kawakami, head of the Institute of World Studies at the Takushoku University, a military think tank, said, “Japan has made its defence policy more comprehensive given the increasing tension with China in the South and the East China Sea.”
Kawakami, the military think tank head, claimed that ‘While speaking on the Indo-Pacific cooperation, former Japanese Prime Minister Abe had warned that there was a need for military cooperation between Japan and the NATO countries. Therefore, the war exercises organised presently are important for the cooperation between Japan and NATO countries.’
When Japan surrendered after its defeat in World War II, it had accepted the condition of handing over its security to the United States. After that, Japan had a defensive policy. Japan made dynamic changes to its defence policy during the tenure of Prime Minister Abe due to threat that emerged from China’s aggression. Accordingly, Japan increased its defence budget significantly and started the purchase of weapons and defence equipment. Moreover, Japan has also initiated rapid steps to establish defence cooperation with other countries to retaliate against China.
The war exercises with the United States, France and Australia, the countries opposing China, forms an essential part of Japan’s amended strategy. The move has unsettled China and is preparing to express its displeasure in different ways in the South and the East China Sea. Furthermore, China has accused all of these countries to have united against it. Japanese military analyst Takashi Kawakami has acknowledged that the current exercises have been organised, keeping China in view. Nevertheless, neutral analysts from Japan and Australia have voiced their honest opinion. They said although that is true, only China’s expansionist policies are the actual reason behind the alignment of the countries against it.
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