Editor's Note

Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) launched a military drill on island defense in a training ground in the city of Narashino in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday.

The war game, joined by Japan's only airborne force, was played under the assumption that a Japanese islet was captured by enemy and the airborne force re-took the island with the help of maritime and air forces.

Latest News

Global Times, Jan. 14: Abe will appeal to NATO for closer ties
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will write a letter to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to call for closer ties in the face of China's rising maritime power.

Xinhua, Jan. 13: Japan launches military drill on island defense
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said after the drill that Japan's security circumstances worsened as its neighboring countries speeded up military modernization, especially after two rocket launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Xinhua, Jan. 13: Japan holds military drill focusing on island defense
Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) launched a military drill on island defense in a training ground in the city of Narashino in Chiba Prefecture on January 13, 2012.

Photos

Purpose: protecting Japan's public safety and people's lives

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said after the drill that Japan's security circumstances worsened as its neighboring countries speeded up military modernization, especially after two rocket launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He said the SDF must resolutely protect Japan's territories so as to protect Japan's public safety and people's lives.

Military vehicles:

About 20 aircrafts and 33 armored vehicles participated in the drill.

Special training:

Members of Japan’s Ground Self Defense Force 1st Airborne Brigade are now required to learn another foreign language besides English to strengthen their information collecting ability, according to a China Central Television report on January 13.

The report also quoted an unnamed source as saying that a significant number of the brigade also study Chinese independently, including a Chinese dialect used in Southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Comments

Ruan Zongze, the deputy director of the Chinese Institute of International Studies, said in an interview with People’s Daily Online, on January 14:

Japan is increasingly relying on its military force, which is both dangerous for its own development and does not facilitate regional stability.

Liu Junhong, a researcher from the Institute of Japanese Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the People’s Daily on January 14:

Abe tried to make use of the US to dominate the Asia-Pacific region by racing to control the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and construct “a new geopolitical circle” that reflected their political values. It’s also a move that could help shift Japanese public attention away from its domestic economic crisis.

Zheng Hao, a news commentator for Phoenix TV, said on January 11 that it’s impossible for Japan and China to negotiate over the Diaoyu row.

“It is clear from their recent diplomatic strategies that Japan will absolutely not make any concessions over the Diaoyu Islands. They are aiming to contain China, and China has also no way out over the issue,” said Zheng.

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