Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force and the German, French and Spanish air forces begin joint exercises in the airspace around Japan from Friday as Europe deploys more forces in the region to increase deterrence against China and Russia.
The air forces of the three European countries have formed a joint unit and are participating in the weekslong Pacific Skies 2024 exercise across multiple continents. The unit will reach Japan after training with the U.S. military in the state of Alaska.
The ASDF will jointly train with the German and Spanish air forces near Chitose Air Base, on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The ASDF will jointly train with the French air force around Hyakuri Air Base, in Ibaraki prefecture northeast of Tokyo.
Germany and Spain will send 12 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, and the ASDF will participate with four F-15 fighters. This marks Spain’s first time sending fighter jets to Japan and Germany’s second time, the first having been in 2022.
For the Japan-France joint drills, four French Rafale fighter jets will be joined by two ASDF F-2 fighters.
The exercises will test the ability to communicate smoothly in any scenario and come as Europe shows a heightened sense of vigilance toward China and Russia. In addition to the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China presents risks to international shipping routes and the supply of critical materials and goods.
Naval groups from the U.K., France and Germany were deployed near Japan in 2021, providing increased opportunities for joint exercises. This year, Turkish and Dutch vessels have called at Japanese ports, and Italian and German naval vessels are scheduled to visit in late August.
For Japan, cooperation with European forces will boost deterrence. Through strengthening ties with Europe in addition to its ally the U.S., their commitment to Asian security can be more readily shown, even though they are geographically far from Asia.
Japan has concluded a reciprocal access agreement — which facilitates moving armed forces between participating countries and conducting training — with the U.K. and is negotiating one with France. It has also put into effect acquisition and cross-servicing agreements, which ease the exchange of fuel and other necessities between forces, with the U.K., France and Germany.
China and Russia have deepened military cooperation since the invasion of Ukraine. Four Chinese and Russian bombers flew joint long-distance patrols around Japan in December, for example. Just this month, ships from both countries passed through the Osumi Strait — which sits between Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu and smaller islands to its south — and jointly trained in the South China Sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s presence at NATO summits for three straight years is a sign that the partners “want to cooperate together, not just as individual countries,” says Atsuko Higashino, a University of Tsukuba professor who studies international relations.
“There are certain levels of threats in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region,” she said, with China and Russia in mind.
“Europe and Japan need to support each other in the event of a crisis,” Higashino said.
