Japan’s MSDF and Coast Guard hold joint drill
This past week, the United States Coast Guard and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) carried out a training in Japanese water. This exercise has been in response to the East China Sea conflict and recent Chinese laws allowing their maritime defense to use weapons. The Senkaku Islands and the surrounding territorial waters are controlled by Japan, yet Taiwan and China state they are entitled to the region. The training specifically aimed at developing a plan of action for suspicious ships, which directly corresponds to the conflict. The Japanese MSDF leader also disclosed the importance of their allyship with the United States if the conflict were to be heightened.
In efforts to protect their territory, Japan has been establishing more relationships with global powers, such as the United States. The relationship between these two states has been going strong these past few years with them benefiting from each other’s resources and territory. It has been known that the presence of the United States in that region comes with some backlash from neighboring countries, which can have lasting effects if it does get to the point that is referenced in the article. Now that the United States is closer to China than ever, more training will be done in the East China Sea. This has already been taken as a threat in the past, thus the allies need to be cautious of how far they are willing to escalate the issue.
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surrounding the Senkaku Islands is the basis for China claiming the islands. The EEZ allows states to economically benefit from waters past their territorial boundaries, which explains why China deems the islands vital. The territory is filled with fishing and oil opportunities that have immensely benefited Japan’s economy. As the biggest economic competitor to the United States, China has been looking for ways to become the one and only global superpower, like building their Belt and Road Initiative and expanding their territory in the South China Sea. Therefore, it’s not surprising that one of Japan’s biggest allies at the moment is the United States.