For the first time since WWII!

German fighter jets arrive in Japan for military exercises, German defense minister: just the beginning

  [Global Times reporter Guo Yuandan] According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, three German fighter jets arrived in Japan on the 28th for a three-day joint training with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

This is the first time the two sides have held drills in Japanese airspace.

German Defense Minister Lambrecht said this was just the beginning.

  In this exercise, Germany and Japan will respectively send 3 "Typhoon" fighters and 3 F-2 fighters to participate in the exercise.

The goal of the joint exercise is to promote mutual understanding and improve tactical skills, and the scope of training for both sides is limited to formation and navigation.

The analysis believes that although the exercises of the two sides are simple, they can improve Germany's joint air combat capability in the Asia-Pacific region, and at the same time help German fighters integrate into the combat command system of Asia-Pacific allies.

  The joint German-Japanese air training is part of Germany's "Fast Pacific 2022" joint air exercise.

The military exercise began on August 15, when 13 Luftwaffe military aircraft took off from the mainland and arrived in Singapore within 24 hours, aiming to show that the Luftwaffe can quickly deploy in the region.

This is also the first time since World War II that Germany has sent fighter jets to the Indo-Pacific region.

Previously, in November 2021, the German naval frigate "Bavaria" had docked at the port of Tokyo, Japan.

Lambrecht said in an interview with The Japan Times on the 26th that the German Army will also participate in a multinational exercise in Australia next year, and the following year will redeploy its maritime forces.

  "Security concerns everyone, and no country can stand idly by." Lambrecht said that the "rules-based international order" is increasingly being challenged in the Indo-Pacific region. "We know that Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security are mutually exclusive. connection. That's why we want to help maintain peace and stability in this important region."

For critics who believe that China and North Korea pose little or no direct security threat to Germany, Lambrecht said that given the economic and geopolitical importance of the Indo-Pacific to Germany and Europe as a whole, "any conflict there will have a huge impact on Germany in many ways."

The German defense minister also said she believed that Japan played an "extremely important role" in the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

  Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on the 28th that there are three considerations for Germany and Japan to step up cooperation.

First, Germany is an important member of NATO.

Japan hopes to constrain China by introducing NATO and other NATO members to East Asia through military cooperation with Germany.

Secondly, Germany is also willing to take the opportunity to expand its power and tentacles to East Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, which will help expand Germany's regional and international influence.

In addition, "Although Germany and Japan did not express it clearly on the surface, they actually have the intention of restricting China's Taiwan policy through military exchanges and military alliances."