Tokyo’s defense forces conducted their first drill outside of Japan alongside Asia’s largest multinational exercise.
On Sunday, media outlets reported that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel had conducted their first drill outside of Japan, in Thailand during the multinational Cobra Gold exercises (See: “ US, Thailand to Launch 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercises ”). The move was just the latest sign of the easing legal restrictions on Japan’s defense forces as well as their effects on Tokyo’s contributions to regional and international security.
Under security legislation introduced by the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which took effect last March, the JSDF now has an increased ability to protect Japan and Japanese nationals as well as engage in greater international cooperation both in peacetime as well as during certain wartime contingencies. The changes were expected to bolster Japan’s right to collective self-defense as well as its ability to support the armed forces of other countries in operations that contribute to the country’s security and promote international peace.
In a concrete example of how these legislative changes would affect Japan’s ability to defend itself and to work more with its allies and partners, the JSDF held a drill over the weekend in Thailand where the multinational Cobra Gold exercises – Asia’s largest drills – are currently occurring.
