The US and Japan kicked off their biennial Keen Sword military exercise on Monday, one of the largest joint drills between the two countries. This year, the exercise will focus on Japan’s southwestern islands, including its westernmost island, Yonaguni, just 68 miles east of Taiwan.
Both the US and Japan have deployed new anti-ship missile systems to Yonaguni for the drills, ratcheting up tensions with China. US Marines have been deployed with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, which has a range of about 115 miles, putting vessels that patrol the coast of eastern Taiwan in range.
According to The Associated Press, Japan has deployed its first long-range Type-25 land-to-ship missile to the island. The Type-25 has a range of about 620 miles, making it capable of reaching mainland China from Yonaguni.
The US has also deployed a HIMARS rocket system to Ishigaki, about 150 miles from Taiwan, where the opening ceremony for Keen Sword took place. HIMARS are capable of striking at a distance of up to 190 miles if they’re armed with the ATACMS missiles, but it’s unclear what type of ammunition the system was deployed with.
US Forces Japan said in a statement that the drill will involve 45,000 Japanese troops, 11,000 US troops, and forces from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines, along with observers from South Korea and the UK.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told China’s Global Times earlier this month that the deployment of a new US missile system in Yonaguni increases the risk of miscalculation between the US and China and that Beijing may respond by conducting its own military drills in the area.
The South China Morning Post previously reported that China has stepped up coast guard and naval activity east of Taiwan in response to maritime boundary talks announced in May between Japan and the Philippines.
