U.S. strategic bombers and a fleet of Japanese fighter jets participated in a joint exercise this week in a demonstration of growing military cooperation following recent tensions between Japan and China.
Two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers, three Japanese F-35 stealth fighters, and other fighter planes conducted joint drills Wednesday near Japan's western airspace above waters between the country and South Korea, multiple media outlets reported.
The exercise came a day after Chinese and Russian bombers flew together near western Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets, though there was no airspace violation.
It also followed China's military aircraft locking radar on Japanese jets on Saturday, another incident that further strained Tokyo-Beijing relations.
Japan's Joint Staff denied the exercise was conducted in response to a specific incident but said the radar lock on Japanese jets and the China-Russia joint bomber flights were examples of a worsening security environment around Japan.
Yoshihiro Inaba, a Japanese military analyst, said that although joint bomber flights are a staple of the U.S.-Japan defense relationship, the timing of the exercise could be "regarded as a symbol of the Japan-U.S. alliance."
Capable of carrying long-range anti-ship missiles and air-launched Quicksink mines, the B-52 is a significant maritime strike platform, Inaba said.
He added that it could help defend Japan from adversaries such as China and Russia.
He noted that the bombers were equipped with New START-compliant tail fins, indicating the nuclear-capable nature of those B-52s.
"Therefore, it is possible that the mission also served to signal the United States' extended deterrence commitment to Japan," Inaba said.
Earlier Thursday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
According to the Pentagon, they discussed Japan's efforts to increase defense spending and strengthen its capabilities, China's military activities, and the importance of realistic training and exercises across Japan, including in the Southwest Islands.
The Pentagon said Hegseth and Koizumi reaffirmed the U.S.-Japan alliance's strategic role and pledged to work together to deter aggression across the Asia-Pacific.
Japan's Ministry of Defense wrote in a post on X that Hegseth and Koizumi "exchanged candid views on [the] increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident against SDF [Self-Defense Forces] aircraft by Chinese military aircraft on Dec. 6."
"The ministers expressed serious concern over actions that increase regional tensions," the ministry said in a statement, adding that China's activities "are not conducive to regional peace and stability" and that both sides agreed to strengthen alliance capabilities "with a sense of urgency and speed."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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