Japan and the United States will hold their first joint evacuation of U.S. troops escaping from a battlefield in large-scale maneuvers in November, sources at the Self-Defense Forces said Monday.
With the inclusion of a plan disclosed last week to evacuate civilians from a simulated overseas conflict, the drills are a sign of increasing military cooperation between the two states.
The exercises involving U.S. service members are intended as a preparation for so-called rear-area search-and-rescue operations, which are provided for under a law on emergencies occurring in areas surrounding Japan that took effect in August 1999.