Japan set to join Australian and U.S. war games for the first time

The International Security Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney has confirmed that Japan will join US -Australian military exercises for the very first time over growing fears in the South China Sea.

Even though Japan will only be sending 40 officers and soldiers to the 30,000 U.S. and Australian strong exercise, experts have said that is a show on how Washington wanted to create cooperation between its allies in Asia. The Japanese servicemen will join the US forces while the 500 New Zealand servicemen will join the Australian forces as was written on the Australian Defence website.

The exercises are to be held around Australia at locations with each nation taking part in maritime, amphibious, Special Forces drills and urban warfare operations.

The Director at Lowy Institute of the International Security Program said that he thinks that the U.S. is setting out to get its allies to take a more active role in the Southern Asian ocean and that Japan is the Anchor for the northern and that Australia is the Anchor for the southern region.

The Talisman Sabre biennial joint exercise is in response to the concerns the three nations have towards China in the South China Sea. The joint nations all wish to have free movement through the SpartlyArchielog which is a shipping corridor where China is building a number of artificial islands.

Experts believe that once China has completed the construction of the artificial islands they will impose air and sea restrictions.

Minster Gen Nakatani of the Japanese Defense Ministry has declined to comment, saying that the joint exercise is not in response to China`s growing aggression and that he just wants to strengthen military cooperation between the United States and Australia. Japan wishes for both Prime Minster Shinzo Abe of Japan and Prime Minster Tony Abbott of Australia to sign a contract where Japan is to supply the next-generation submarines to the Australian military, a move that the US fully supports. Australia also wants to sign a contract that will see Australian troops on Japanese soil with both countries participating in joint military exercises, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.