WNAM REPORT: Germany and Japan wrapped up their first-ever bilateral fighter aircraft exercise on Thursday as the two strategic partners continue to deepen defense ties amid what they say are mounting challenges to the international order.
Named Nippon Skies, the aerial maneuvers from Monday to Thursday took place in the airspace around the Air Self-Defense Force’s Chitose Air Base in Hokkaido, involving three German Air Force Eurofighters and four ASDF F-15 jets.
Several transport aircraft also took part in the drills, which the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said were designed to “enhance tactical skills” and “promote mutual understanding,” in a follow-up to the Luftwaffe’s first ever visit to Japan in 2022.
German Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz described the four-day tactical drills as a “significant step toward even more cooperation between our two air forces,” inviting the ASDF to hold joint drills in Germany “in the near future.”
“Our first joint exercise was all about getting to know each other’s procedures,” Gerhartz said, noting that the move was also aimed at demonstrating that the security of Europe is “inseparable” from that of the Indo-Pacific — a claim also made by the German and Japanese governments.
Gen. Yasuhiko Suzuki, commander of the Air Defense Command, had previously stated that bilateral ties had become “strong and inseparable through the drills.”
Facilitating the joint maneuvers was a defense pact the strategic partners signed in January to ease the exchange of supplies and logistical support while allowing the use of each side’s military facilities during exercises.
Germany, which like Japan is a U.S. treaty ally, is not only seeking a continuous and long-term security commitment to the region, but also new partners amid Europe’s push to diversify and de-risk ties with China.
In an interview last month, Berlin’s envoy to Tokyo, Ambassador Clemens von Goetze, said the two countries have been talking about enhancing defense cooperation not only in terms of increased dialogue, but also “to exchange practical experience and increase interoperability between our forces.”
This approach will also be reflected in future bilateral army and naval exercises, including a port call in Japan in late August by a German Navy frigate and a combat support ship, three years after the service’s first such mission to the region in over 20 years.
The joint fighter drills came only a few days after the ASDF conducted similar exercises last week with a contingent of more than 30 military aircraft from Germany, France and Spain — a move that also marked these countries’ first ever trilateral air force deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
The activities highlight the expanding defense ties between Tokyo and key European partners — particularly NATO members — as they align their strategic interests amid shared economic and security concerns.
The series of drills, which partially included U.S. forces, also marked the second leg of a two-month, trinational Pacific Skies deployment that has already seen the German, French and Spanish air forces exercise with the United States, with upcoming maneuvers set to take place in Australia, Hawaii and India.
“The successive visits to the Indo-Pacific region by the armed forces of these countries are proof of their willingness and ability to engage in the Indo-Pacific region,” Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said last month.
This growing engagement improves the Self-Defense Forces’ tactical skills and also “deepens cooperation with other countries and helps realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
The ASDF will train next with the Italian Air Force in an exercise called Rising Sun, which is to be held from Aug. 6 to 8 in the airspace around Misawa Air Base, Aomori Prefecture.
These maneuvers will see Italy send transport and early warning aircraft as well as four F-35As and an equal number of Eurofighters, while Japan will field four F-35As and an aerial tanker.
Both Europe and Japan are concerned about what they view as mounting challenges to the international order, including the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and security tensions in East Asia.
This has resulted in several European countries intensifying defense, diplomatic and economic security cooperation with not only Japan but also other U.S. regional allies such as South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.
