Photo/Illutration From left, French army Lt. Col. Henri Marcaillou, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Col. Masashi Hiraki, and U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Jeremy Nielson pose for pictures after a news conference following a joint military drill between the Ground Self-Defense Force, French army and U.S. Marines at the Kirishima exercise area in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, on May 15. (Pool Photo via AP)

Japan is expanding its security cooperation with Europe in the face of China’s growing military might.

Japan is making a strategic response to China’s increasing assertive actions that seem to challenge the existing order. Tokyo’s strategy is driven by efforts to forge broad cooperative ties with countries with the same values based on the solid architecture of its security alliance with the United States.

If such efforts lead to a sharp power-based confrontation between the two sides, however, they could end up raising tensions in the region. It is vital for Tokyo to make tenacious efforts to continue meaningful dialogue with Beijing.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force, the U.S. Marine Corps and the French army conducted week-long joint military exercises from May 11 in various parts of Kyushu.

The drills were focused on operations to regain a remote island seized by an enemy as well as urban warfare. The French military took part in ground military exercises in Japan for the first time.

In related moves, Britain has announced plans to send a carrier strike group led by the Royal Navy’s new flagship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, to the Indo-Pacific. The British naval fleet will make a port call in Japan. Germany has joined in, saying it will send a naval frigate to the region. 

The naval ships of both countries are expected to carry out joint exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is extremely rare for Germany, which has no overseas territories, to dispatch a military vessel to the region.

The moves by major European countries to ramp up their military presence in East Asia, a remote part of the world, reflect their changing attitudes toward China.

China’s human rights violations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and concerns about leaks of cutting-edge technology to the country, among other things, have increased distrust of Beijing among these countries.

They have also come to share with Japan and the United States a sense of crisis about China’s aggressive naval expansion in the East and South China Seas.

Japan is seeking to build a chain of cooperation with its Western partners to counter China’s expansion at a time when the relationship between the United States and Europe is expected to improve under the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden.

But European nations are not monolithic in their strategies for dealing with challenges posed by China, with some German government policymakers demurring at the idea of raising the country’s military profile in the region in consideration of the economic ties with China.

The objective of such cooperation should not be tightening the noose around China’s neck. It should be aimed at contributing to regional peace and stability and leading China to play a responsible role in the international community according to the rules.

To ease tensions and build mutual trust in the region, it is crucial for the countries involved to have an accurate understanding of the intentions of others.

Japan and China need to strengthen bilateral communications on various levels. The two governments have been holding talks to open a hot line between their defense authorities to avoid accidental clashes between the SDF and China’s military on the sea or in the sky. They should strike an agreement on the proposal as soon as possible.

The Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit that will be held in Singapore on June 4-5 will be a great opportunity for direct high-level political talks between the two countries.

Usually, many high-ranking Chinese government and military officials attend the event. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi are expected to take part in the conference.

The two nations should take the opportunity for candid talks over key security and other issues.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 20

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