Japan hosts multilateral display of naval unity amid East Asia tension

An aerial view shows Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)'s multi-purpose destroyer Izumo (DDH-183) leading the fleet during the International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the JMSDF, at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan November 6, 2022, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo/ via REUTERS

Japan hosted its first international fleet review for seven years on Sunday with ships from 12 other nations in a show of unity as North Korea fires record numbers of missiles and China increases its pressure on Taiwan.

The naval parade in Sagami Bay near Tokyo involved 38 vessels, 18 from friendly countries such as the United States, South Korea, Britain, Australia, Singapore, India and Thailand. Thirty-three aircraft flew overhead, including submarine-hunting patrol planes and helicopters.

Japan Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF) aerobatic flight team "Blue Impulse" performs during an International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan November 6, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool

"We must ready for those who violate rules and who would use force to trample on the peace and security of other nations," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a speech on the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo. "We will formulate a new national security strategy by year end and drastically strengthen our defence capabilities."

Kishida hosted dignitaries on the Izumo before flying to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to meet Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and senior navy commanders.

"What upsets China most is we have allies, they are expansive and extensive," Emanuel said after accompanying Kishida on a tour of the Ronald Reagan.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer Takanami leads the JMSDF fleet during the International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the JMSDF, at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan November 6, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool

Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party has pledged to double Japan's defence budget to around 2% of gross domestic product within five years.

South Korea's decision to join Japan's event came as ties between the neighbours improve after a spat over compensation for wartime labourers and Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels, which had threatened to derail closer cooperation between the two U.S. allies.

Japan refused to join South Korea's fleet review in 2018 after Seoul asked it not to fly its rising sun ensign, which South Korea views as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression. Tokyo declined to invite South Korea to a planned 2019 review.

Mitsubishi F-2 fighters of Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly during an International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan November 6, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool

Both countries have drawn closer as North Korea ratchets up its missile launches, including a suspected long-range missile on Thursday that triggered an alert in central and northern Japan for residents to seek shelter.

China, which has criticised Japan's defence spending plans, declined an invitation to join the review. Russia was not invited because of its invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly in Yokosuka; Editing by William Mallard)

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida boards the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered super carrier, as the sideline of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)’s International Fleet Review, at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan November 6, 2022. REUTERS/Tim Kelly