U.S.-Japan 'Keen Sword' Drills Begin, Largest Ever, with First U.S. Anti-Ship Missile Deployment to Yonaguni
The U.S.-Japan joint exercise 'Keen Sword' began on Oct. 19. According to Japan's Joint Staff, about 33,000 Self-Defense Forces personnel and 12,000 U.S. troops are taking part, with observers from Australia and Canada bringing the total to around 50,000 — the largest edition on record. The drills run through Oct. 29 across airspace and waters around Japan. The headline element is the first deployment of anti-ship missiles to Yonaguni Island, about 110 km from Taiwan: the U.S. Marine Corps is deploying its Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS, firing Naval Strike Missiles), while Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force fields Type-88 surface-to-ship missiles. U.S. think-tank analysts say it is the first U.S. military deployment to Yonaguni, illustrating the Marine Corps' stand-in forces concept and Japan's broader buildup of long-range strike and amphibious capabilities in its southwestern islands. The programme covers air defence, anti-submarine warfare, amphibious landings and missile defence. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has said the drills aim to strengthen the alliance's response and deterrence capabilities. The scale and locations of this annual exercise are drawing particular attention amid continued tensions in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：与那国岛空拍图（资料图）。国土地理院 摄，需署名授权，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Aerial photograph of Yonaguni Island (file photo). By 国土地理院, attribution licence, via Wikimedia Commons.
