‘Message to China’: Europe steps up air drills in Japan’s backyard amid regional threats

Japan’s drills with Germany, France and Spain highlight Europe’s growing military engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, analysts say

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Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force during training with the forces of Germany, France and Spain in July. Photo: X/@JASDF

Published: 9:30am, 28 Jul 2024

Japan’s joint military drills with three European powers were aimed at bringing the country’s air force “up to speed” with its other military branches, analysts say – while also signalling Europe’s commitment to maintaining an “open and free Indo-Pacific”.

The joint exercises with Germany, Spain and France, which ran from July 19 to 24, saw aircraft from the three European nations deployed to Japan for the first time, underscoring Europe’s growing security presence in the strategic Asia-Pacific theatre. German and Spanish fighter jets and transport planes operated out of Chitose Air Base in northern Hokkaido prefecture, while French fighter jets and refuelling tankers took part in drills at the Hyakuri Air Base northeast of Tokyo.

This flurry of multinational cooperation is set to continue, with Japan and Italy announcing plans for their own joint fighter jet exercises scheduled for August 2-10. The coming drill will mark the first time the air forces of the two countries have trained together.

Analysts say the joint air drills represent Europe’s willingness to have some “military skin in the game”, rather than just professing rhetorical support.

Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force during drills with forces from Germany, France and Spain in July. Photo: X/@JASDF

The Air Self-Defence Force, as Japan’s air force is known, “is the most domestic unit” of the country’s military, as its role has mostly been limited to defending Japanese airspace, said Yoichiro Sato, a professor of Asia-Pacific studies at Japan’s Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.