In order to enhance deterrence against the Chinese Communist Party and Russia, a coalition of fighter jets from Germany, France, and Spain arrived in Japan for joint exercises with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in the airspace surrounding Japan on Friday, July 19.
The joint military exercises were divided into two main areas. On Friday morning, fighter jets and transport aircraft from the German Air Force and the Spanish Air Force successively landed at the Chitose Air Base in Hokkaido.
Germany and Spain each dispatched eight Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets and four Dassault Rafale fighter jets, while the Japan Air Self-Defense Force sent four F-15 fighter jets to participate in the exercises. This marks Spain’s first deployment of fighter jets to Japan and Germany’s second deployment since 2022.
Welcoming them, Lieutenant General Tanaka Nobutaka, commander of the 2nd Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, stated that such exercises are “of great significance for maintaining and strengthening the free and open Indo-Pacific.”
At the same time, French Air Force fighter jets and tanker aircraft landed at the Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. This is the second joint exercise between France and Japan in Japan. Four Dassault Rafale fighter jets from the French Air Force and two F2 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force participated in this exercise.
This is the first simultaneous deployment of military aircraft from Germany, Spain, and France to Japan, with the four-nation joint exercise expected to continue until the 25th of this month. The Japanese Ministry of Defense expressed its hope that through this exercise and other training activities, cooperation with NATO countries would be deepened to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Since June, the air forces of Germany, France, and Spain have launched a two-month live-fire exercise operation called “Pacific Skies 24.” Prior to visiting Japan, the coalition of the three countries, consisting of over 50 military aircraft and more than 1800 military personnel, conducted joint exercises with the U.S. military in Alaska.
Following Japan, the coalition of the three countries will also conduct exercises with regional partners such as India and Australia. The “Pacific Skies 2024” exercise is expected to last until August 15.
Since 2021, opportunities for joint exercises have increased as the United Kingdom’s carrier strike group, French amphibious assault ship, and German frigate have successively deployed in the vicinity of Japan. Western countries are expanding their military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. These large-scale exercises also highlight Europe’s concerns about China’s increasingly enhanced military capabilities.
In March of last year, the British government elevated the position of the Indo-Pacific region to a “permanent pillar of foreign policy” in its revised foreign and security policy, emphasizing Japan as “one of the closest strategic partners, including in security.”
On May 7th of this year, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea puts pressure on the freedom of navigation and passage on trade routes in the Indo-Pacific region. He emphasized that the existence of an order based on international rules in the region is “crucial.”