TANEGASHIMA, Kagoshima -- The Self-Defense Forces conducted a large-scale amphibious training drill premised on regaining control of a remote island invaded by hostile forces from a nearby country.
The drill conducted on Tanegashima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Thursday is part of exercises that will run until next Thursday and include drills at firing ranges on Okidaitojima island, Okinawa Prefecture, and in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture. A total of about 1,500 personnel from the Ground Self-Defense Force, Air Self-Defense Force and Maritime Self-Defense Force are taking part in the exercises -- the largest held in Japan for an amphibious operation.
The drills assume that the military, an armed group or other forces from a nearby nation landed on and attacked a remote Japanese island. Members of the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, which was launched in March 2018 and is based at Camp Ainoura in Nagasaki Prefecture, the MSDF's Mine Warfare Force and the ASDF's Air Defense Command are among the participants in the drills, which feature the use of 16 AAV7 amphibious vehicles and other equipment.
On Thursday, 10 AAV7 vehicles exited one after another from the stern of the transport ship Kunisaki in waters near Tanegashima. After landing on the prefecture-owned beach, GSDF personnel wearing camouflage face paint and carrying weapons spread out over the area.
The ASDF and MSDF have been conducting ground assault drills on Okidaitojima and elsewhere since Monday.
On Wednesday, the SDF also carried out a drill on Tanegashima to emulate how an incursion on a remote island could be blocked. The GSDF practiced laying mines along the coastline, prepared trenches and set barbed-wire entanglements.
The drills are being conducted at a time of China's growing maritime assertiveness. Chinese government vessels frequently intrude into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, and China's Navy is rapidly bolstering its capabilities. In response to these developments, the SDF established the 2,400-strong Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade. The brigade is quickly boosting its ability to conduct operations on remote islands.
In addition to these amphibious exercises, drills designed to counter cyber-attacks and electronic warfare are being held at SDF facilities across the nation until next Thursday. About 32,000 personnel are participating in these drills, making them the largest held so far.
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