US Marines to Train Japanese Troops

[Ryan Ruck]

US Marines to Train Japanese Troops

TOKYO - Japanese troops will train with U.S. Marines next year to strengthen Tokyo's defense of islands also claimed by China which are believed to lie near oil and gas resources in the East China Sea, a report said Saturday.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces will also develop short-range torpedoes for combat in shallow waters, the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

The paper said about 125 Japanese troops will be sent to San Diego in January for joint exercises with Marines simulating a landing on an occupied island.

The islands — called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan — lie in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Japan. They were ceded to Japan by China in an 1895 war and continue to be a frequent source of friction between the nations.

Self-Defense Forces officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report but have earlier said Japan and the United States plan joint training by the end of March.

The Nihon Keizai report came days after Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Beijing poses "a considerable military threat" because it has nuclear weapons and is boosting its military spending. China called the remarks irresponsible and groundless.

Relations between Japan and China, linked by billions of dollars of trade, aid and investment, have seen an unprecedented string of clashes over the past year. The two countries have sparred over their wartime history, territorial and resource disputes, and China's growing military power.

Relations soured further several days ago, when Beijing denounced Tokyo for claiming that Chinese spies drove a Japanese diplomat to commit suicide last year.

[Ryan Ruck]

Related to the above…

Japan Steps Up Defence Of Remote Isles, Eyes China

TOKYO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Japan is sending troops to train with U.S. forces and is developing new torpedoes to boost the defence of remote islands, including some disputed isles in case China tries to take them over, a local daily said on Saturday.

The report comes after Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said this month that China's military build-up was a threat given its lack of transparency, triggering an angry retort from Beijing, which said his comments were "highly irresponsible".

As part of efforts to strengthen its ability to defend remote islands, Japan will send some 125 Japanese ground troops to San Diego, California from Jan. 9-27 for joint training with U.S. Marines, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said.

The troops will take part in reconnaissance training such as learning how to land on potentially-occupied remote islands and gather information, the paper said.

The aim is to strengthen Japan's ability to defend remote southern isles such as the disputed islands known as the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan, the newspaper said.

"The Defence Ministry and the Self-Defence Force will strengthen their posture for defending (isles such as) the Senkaku Islands in the event of an invasion by the Chinese military," the Nihon Keizai newspaper said.

Defence Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

To guard against submarines, Japan's navy plans to make improvements to short-range torpedoes on ships and helicopters to make them better suited to shallow waters, the newspaper said.

Relations between Japan and China have been frayed by a number of disputes, mostly relating to Japan's invasion and occupation of parts of China from 1931 to 1945.

[Brian Baldwin]

Its about time we stepped that up. China is a real danger to that whole region. Don't think they've forgotten about the Japanese invasion of pre-world war 2. And taking out one of our key allies would make it all the sweeter.

Brian