Japan's Defense Ministry says the Self-Defense Forces will take part in a large-scale field training exercise by the US military for the first time next month.
The ministry announced on Friday that the SDF will join the biennial exercise, Valiant Shield. It will be held for two weeks from early June in Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Japan. SDF facilities in Japan, except for those in Okinawa and Shikoku, will host some of the drills.
The ministry said US fighter jets will carry out drills at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture and the Air Self-Defense Force's Matsushima Air Base in Miyagi Prefecture.
The US military and the SDF will jointly rehearse the restoration of a runway on the island of Ioto in the Pacific.
Valiant Shield will be conducted under a multinational framework this year for the first time. The US military apparently aims to boost deterrence by improving its response capability against contingencies in areas around Japan, and stressing cooperation with partner nations.
Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said strengthening the deterrence of the Japan-US alliance and expanding partnership with like-minded countries will be meaningful as the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe.