Japan, U.S., Australia to Start Drill on Invasion Scenario

Tokyo, Sept. 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force, and the U.S. and Australian militaries held an opening ceremony Wednesday for their joint command post exercise to be staged at multiple locations in Japan. The exercise, Yama Sakura, will involve about 5,200 GSDF members, some 1,100 U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel, and roughly 200 Australian Army soldiers, according to the GSDF. The ceremony was held at the GSDF’s Camp Asaka, located in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward and neighboring municipalities. The drill envisions a scenario of hypothetical adversaries conducting amphibious invasions of the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, and the Kyushu region and Nansei islands in the country’s southwestern region. The three countries will coordinate their response to the two-front contingency, apparently with threats from China and Russia in mind. At a press conference after the ceremony, GSDF Lt. Gen. Makoto Endo, commander of the Ground Component Command, said, “The three-way drill in Japan would demonstrate our country’s close ties with the allied and like-minded countries both at home and abroad, and further strengthen deterrence and response capabilities.” The U.S. Army plans to incorporate artificial intelligence into the exercise, with an official saying AI deployment that will quicken responses and facilitate coordination with allies is an initiative across the army. AI use in Yama Sakura will be a new step toward strengthening rapid response capabilities, the official added. The U.S. military has introduced the Maven Smart System, which uses AI to analyze vast amounts of information, including satellite imagery and drone footage, to support commanders’ decision-making. Japan’s Defense Ministry is also considering acquiring MSS. The Yama Sakura exercise runs through Sept. 10 at GSDF camps including Asahikawa and Higashi-Chitose in Hokkaido, Zentsuji in the western prefecture of Kagawa and Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, as well as Camp Asaka and U.S. military bases in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]