Please agree to our privacy policy to enable news listening. (Central News Agency, Tokyo, 20th, comprehensive foreign news reports) Japan and the US military today launched the “Fortitude Dragon” joint training focusing on the defense of outlying islands in southwestern Japan, and will practice the deployment and transportation of land-based anti-ship missiles and other equipment. The training coincided with the anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa, triggering protests from multiple citizen groups. “Nihon Keizai Shimbun” reported that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Army held an opening ceremony today at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s strong military garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture. This “Resolute Dragon” training will last until the 30th of this month, and approximately 9,600 people from Japan and the United States will participate. The “Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle” and other equipment will be put into use at the Nissho Dai training ground in Oita Prefecture, Japan. In addition, the exercise will also deploy launchers of “Type 88 land-based anti-ship missiles” and “Type 12 land-based anti-ship missiles” to simulate preventing enemy landings. In March this year, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force was equipped for the first time with long-range missiles that can hit the opponent’s attack bases at two places in Japan as “counterattack capabilities” (enemy base attack capabilities). They are the “Type 25 land-based anti-ship missile” at the Kenjun garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture and the “Type 25 high-speed air missile” at the Fuji garrison in Shizuoka Prefecture. The content of this training includes the exercise of command and use of “counterattack capabilities” in the Jianjun garrison. Self-defense team members operating the “Type 25 land-based anti-ship missile” and “Type 25 high-speed glide missile” will also participate in the exercise. In addition, the two sides will also practice transporting missile devices to Japanese outlying islands. Transport ships of the Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group, led by the Ground Self-Defense Force, will transport the launchers of the “Type 12 land-based anti-ship missile” to Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture and confirm the process of installing missile fuel on Amami Oshima. Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) and Okinawa Television (OTV) reported that the “Dragon of Resolute” training lasted for 10 days and took place across the Kyushu region and Okinawa. The Osprey transport aircraft of the Ground Self-Defense Force is expected to fly to Miyako Island for the first time to practice carrying disaster victims. The fact that the exercise coincided with the “Okinawa Memorial Day” also caused dissatisfaction among many citizen groups. More than 10 citizen groups, including the “No More War in Okinawa, Life is Treasured Association,” compiled a petition calling for the suspension of training, and submitted a letter of petition to the Okinawa Defense Bureau on the 18th of this month to officials such as Sanae Takaichi. Kunio Aragaki, the secretary-general of the “No More Okinawa War, Life is Treasured Association” who participated in the co-signing, said that the training coincided with the “Okinawa Memorial Day”, “I even heard that the memorial day is held in Shiraizu (White House) in Okinawa. Beach), such training tramples on the feelings of the people of the prefecture and must not be allowed. “A tragic land battle broke out in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, at the end of World War II. Many Okinawa residents were involved in the war, and the death toll exceeded 200,000. On average, one out of every four Okinawa Prefecture residents died. The Okinawa Prefectural Government designated June 23, the day when organized fighting by the old Japanese army ended, as “Okinawa Memorial Day.” (Compiled by: Yang Weijing) 1150620 Support Central News Agency’s choice to stand with the facts. Every donation you make is a small amount of support to protect press freedom. Download the Central News Agency’s “First-hand News” APP to get the latest news in real time. The text, pictures and audio and video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
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U.S. and Japanese troops begin large-scale training and citizen groups demand a stop | International | Central News Agency CNA
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