Japan’s troops to train with US, Australian forces amid concerns over China
Al Jazeera
The joint amphibious training is announced after three countries express concerns about ‘dangerous conduct’ by the Chinese military.
Japan’s troops will participate in joint training with United States Marines and Australian forces in northern Australia next year, the defence ministers from the three countries have said, as they expressed concerns over the growing threat from the Chinese military.
A joint statement released on Sunday reiterated “serious concern” about destabilising actions in the East and South China seas, including “dangerous conduct” by the Chinese military against the Philippines and other vessels from the region.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles hosted his US and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Gen Nakatani, for talks in Darwin city. They announced trilateral amphibious training between Australia, Japan and the US Marine rotational force in northern Australia from 2025, beginning with a multinational training activity called Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Australian Defence Minister Marles said the move to deploy troops for Darwin training was a “fantastic opportunity for our defence”.
When asked if the agreement would anger Beijing, Marles said the decision was about building “the best relationships possible with like-minded countries, with our friends and with our allies.”
