Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps disclosed to news outlets on Wednesday some details about an ongoing joint exercise involving drills to practice defending remote islands.
As China becomes increasingly assertive in regional waters, the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and the Okinawa-based U.S. 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting drills since March 4 at a GSDF facility in central Japan.
During the disclosed portion of the exercises, which will run for a period of three weeks, an F-35 stealth fighter jet operated by the U.S. Marine Corps was used in an exercise conducted together with the GSDF for the first time.
The drills assume the training site in Shizuoka Prefecture is an island held by enemy forces. Wednesday's program included the Japanese amphibious brigade passing information to the Marines to help the fighter jet locate and engage targets.
The participation of the F-35, which did not actually open fire, is a sign that bilateral security ties have deepened since Japan's new security laws took effect in 2016.
The laws enable Japan, under certain conditions, to exercise the right to collective self-defense or defend allies even when the country is not directly attacked.
"We are committed to our enduring foundation and to building interoperability," said Col. Masashi Hiraki, commander of the Japanese unit, at the training area near Mount Fuji.