US bombers and stealth fighters took part in a joint military exercise with Japan on Wednesday while an American aircraft carrier arrived at a Japanese port on Thursday, in a show of force amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
Japanese Self-Defence Forces (SDF) and the US military conducted the exercise “amid an increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan”, Tokyo’s Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
“Through this exercise, we confirmed the strong commitment of Japan and the US to not allow unilateral changes to the status quo through force, as well as the readiness of the SDF and the US military, further strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance.”
According to the ministry, six Japanese fighter jets – evenly divided between F-35s and F-15s – joined two US B-52 aircraft to conduct “various tactical training” over the Sea of Japan, or East Sea.
02:49
China reveals radio communications heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighters
China reveals radio communications heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighters
The Hawaii-based US Pacific Air Forces said on social media that “training together reaffirms our commitment to the US-Japan alliance and strengthens deterrence to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
Separately, the US naval base at Yokosuka said on Thursday that the nuclear-powered USS George Washington – with a crew of 4,820 – had arrived at the port “after completing training and patrol missions with allied and partner nations”.
AloJapan.com