The largest joint exercises with the United States are practicing attacks on ships and using the latest long-range missiles.
Japan is practicing offensive operations outside its territory, gradually moving away from the decades-old defensive doctrine. The large-scale joint exercises with the United States Keen Sword, which involve tens of thousands of troops and the latest missile systems, demonstrate Tokyo's growing military ambitions. As the interviewed experts told Izvestia, the rearmament of the Land of the Rising Sun could change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and create additional threats to neighboring countries, including Russia. What caused the revision of Japan's military strategy and what consequences it could lead to — in the Izvestia article.
Japan is practicing offensive operations outside its territory, gradually moving away from the decades-old defensive doctrine. The large-scale joint exercises with the United States Keen Sword, which involve tens of thousands of troops and the latest missile systems, demonstrate Tokyo's growing military ambitions. As the interviewed experts told Izvestia, the rearmament of the Land of the Rising Sun could change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and create additional threats to neighboring countries, including Russia. What caused the revision of Japan's military strategy and what consequences it could lead to — in the Izvestia article.
Attacking actions
Japan is conducting the largest joint military exercises in its history with the United States, Keen Sword. The maneuvers take place from October 19 to October 29. They involve about 45,000 local military personnel, 12,000 American military personnel and the forces of seven partner countries, including Australia, Germany and France. According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the exercises include training on countering cyber attacks, electronic and information warfare, communications development, space control, critical infrastructure protection and logistics support.
Also, according to the military department, "offensive operations against surface ships" will be worked out.
During the joint maneuvers, the Japanese military will for the first time use the latest mobile land‑based Type-25 missile systems with a range of about 1,000 km.
The defensive policy of the exercises hides a much more serious program. We are talking about the use of short- and medium-range missiles on the Japanese islands and the development of multi-domain operations, military expert Boris Jerelievsky told Izvestia.
In the context of modern geopolitics, these actions can hardly be interpreted other than as preparations for forceful pressure on neighboring countries with disputed borders with Japan, that is, on the DPRK, China and Russia, he stressed.
"This creates additional risks for our country in the Far East,— Boris Jerelievsky explained.
According to the expert, Tokyo is not only strengthening its alliance with Washington, but also seeking to play a more independent role in regional politics.
— If Japan used to be more of an object of regional policy, now it is trying to become a subject. And quite aggressive. Russia needs to take into account that this is a potential source of danger," the expert concluded.
Tokyo's Militaristic Legacy
The reasons for rearmament should be sought not so much in external threats as in internal political processes, Boris Jerelievsky said. Unlike Germany, where large-scale denazification was carried out after World War II, Japan has not undergone a comparable rethink of its militaristic past. He recalled that Yasukuni Shrine also honors war criminals convicted after the war.
— Japan is actually moving away from the previous model of exclusively defensive policy: restrictions on the functions of the armed forces are gradually being reviewed, and even proposals to create its own nuclear weapons are being heard in public discussion. The country reasserts itself as an imperialist power, ready to embark on the path of military confrontation," Jerelievsky stressed.
Japan's rearmament is also influenced by the rise of China and the development of North Korea's missile programs. However, a change in US policy also plays an important role, said military expert Vadim Kozyulin.
"Tokyo may fear a reduction in the American military presence and doubt the reliability of the nuclear guarantees provided by Washington,— Vadim Kozyulin believes.
Earlier, Kim Gang-il, Deputy Minister of Defense of the DPRK, spoke about the desire of Japan and the Republic of Korea to increase their military potential and obtain nuclear weapons. Speaking at the 13th Xiangshan International Security Forum, he accused Tokyo and Seoul of recklessly strengthening their armed forces with the support of the United States and said that the trilateral military cooperation of these countries is gradually turning into a nuclear alliance.
Long-range arsenal
Japan is expanding its long-range strike capabilities: it is purchasing American Tomahawk cruise missiles, upgrading its own missile systems, and exploring the prospects for creating hypersonic weapons.
"It's not just about acquiring new weapons, but also about gradually changing the country's military capabilities," Dmitry Kornev, editor of the MilitaryRussia portal, told Izvestia.
According to him, by the end of the twentieth century, Japan had become one of the United States' strongest and most loyal allies in the Pacific region.
The country's self-defense forces receive American planes, missiles, anti-missiles and other weapons. Tokyo is the only one in the world that produces Patriot anti—aircraft missiles under license. In addition, they are the first foreign recipients of Tomahawk sea-launched cruise missiles.
It is known that in 2027, the Japanese Navy should receive the lead ship of the ASEV class (Aegis System Equipped Vessel) — in fact, it is a missile cruiser, which is modestly called a "missile defense ship." Its length will be about 189 m, width — about 25 m, and standard displacement — about 12 thousand tons, which is significantly more than the current Japanese destroyers of the Maya type or, for example, American missile cruisers of the Ticonderoga class.
— Each such ship will carry 128 modular cells of vertical launch launchers for Standard Missile anti-missiles, anti-ship and attack missiles — from Tomahawk to advanced hypersonic missiles of national design. And two such ships are planned to be built so far," Dmitry Kornev said.
In addition, Japan is starting to engage in nuclear submarines, the expert recalled.
"The country's Defense Ministry has officially included nuclear submarines in the defense strategy review, which opens the way for Tokyo to assess the possibility of building nuclear submarines alongside its conventional fleet," Dmitry Kornev explained.
Russia has sufficient resources to protect its Far Eastern borders, despite difficult relations with Tokyo, Vadim Kozyulin concluded.
Thus, large-scale exercises with the United States and the expansion of the strike arsenal indicate a gradual revision of Japan's previous military doctrine. The transition from exclusively defensive tasks to long-range strike capabilities could change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and increase tensions in Tokyo's relations with neighboring countries, including Russia.
Sofia Sokolovskaya
