Increasing tensions in East Asia prompt Japan to review its international fleet!

On Sunday, Japan hosted the first foreign fleet review in seven years (November 6). Ships from 12 more nations participated. The fleet inspection was held while tensions in East Asia rose as a result of North Korea unleashing a barrage of missiles, including Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The relationship between China and Taiwan is also tense.

In Sagami Bay, a suburb of Tokyo, there was a naval parade. There were 38 ships in all, 18 of which were from friendly countries such the United States, South Korea, Britain, Australia, Singapore, India, and Thailand. Thirty-three aircraft flew overhead, including patrol planes and helicopters for looking for submarines.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated in a speech on the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo, ‘We must be ready for those who break the law and who would use force to trample on the peace and security of other nations. By year’s end, we will significantly improve our defence capabilities and develop a new national security plan’.

Before travelling aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, a US Navy aircraft, to see Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, the Japanese PM entertained dignitaries on the Izumo. After touring the Ronald Reagan with Kishida, Emanuel remarked, ‘What irks China most is that we have allies, and they are vast and extensive’.  Within five years, Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party has promised to increase Japan’s defence spending by a factor of two, reaching about 2% of the country’s GDP.

As part of the fleet review, South Korea has also dispatched naval resources. Following a dispute over compensation for workers forced to labour during the war and Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels, ties between two US allies have improved. When South Korea urged Japan not to fly the rising sun banner in 2018, Japan declined to participate in the fleet review. It represents Japanese aggression during World War II, according to South Korea.

As North Korea ramps up its missile tests, including one on Thursday that may have been a long-range missile, the two nations have become closer. This alarm prompted citizens in central and northern Japan to take cover. A request for China to participate in Japan’s fleet assessment was refused. Russia was not invited in light of Ukraine war.