Japan conducts joint drills to combat illegal fishing vessels.

According to Japanese government sources on November 13, the Self-Defense Forces, Coast Guard, and police have conducted a joint exercise for the first time to counter the illegal intrusion of armed foreign vessels.

Japanese coast guard vessel - Photo: Japan Times

According to Kyodo News, the exercise took place on a remote island amid heightened tensions between Japan and China over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Numerous Chinese vessels have repeatedly intruded into the waters surrounding the islands, which are under Japanese control.

The exercise began on November 11th on Eniyabanare Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. This prefecture is also where Japan detected a Chinese naval spy ship entering the waters of an island in the prefecture in June 2016.

Sources indicate the exercise aims to enhance coordination and capabilities among forces and is not targeted at any specific country or region.

In addition to soldiers from various forces, the exercise also involved helicopters and coast guard vessels. The simulated scenario involved armed fishing vessels illegally intruding onto an island. This was identified as a "gray zone" incident, meaning it was merely a threatening act violating Japan's sovereignty, not a planned and organized attack by a foreign force.

Last year, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard also conducted exercises around Izu Oshima Island south of Tokyo with a similar "gray zone" scenario involving the appearance of foreign vessels acting suspiciously.

Sources cited by Kyodo News acknowledge that the exercise could face opposition from China because in September 2016, Beijing and Tokyo agreed to promote negotiations on establishing a maritime and air communication mechanism to avoid incidents in the East China Sea.

According to TTO