Japan and U.S. defense ministers quietly coordinate efforts to contain China, but the proposed alliance appears remarkably distant in both reach and feasibility.

Japan and U.S. Defense Ministers Agree on Cooperation to Contain China

According to Kyodo News, on October 28, Japanese Defense Minister Shun'ei Koizumi held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Cebu, Philippines, agreeing to collaborate on establishing a defensive framework stretching from Japan’s Ryukyu Islands through Taiwan to the Philippines—the so-called “first island chain”—to counter China’s influence.

From October 19 to 29, a large-scale joint military exercise codenamed “Iron Sword 27” was conducted across multiple locations in Japan, involving approximately 12,000 U.S. troops and 45,000 members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. During the exercise, U.S. anti-ship systems were deployed for the first time on Yonaguni Island, located roughly 110 kilometers from Taiwan. The drill also marked the first use of Japanese missiles with a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers.

Source: sputniknews

Original: toutiao.com/article/1880275956231172/

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