TOKYO: The US army will this year habits its first ever missile drill across the Japanese island of Okinawa, in step with a record Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter an increasingly assertive China.
The US army has informed its Japanese counterpart it plans to deploy surface-to-ship missiles within the strategically necessary Okinawa this year for the first such drill by Japan's key best friend, the Sankei Shimbun reported, without citing resources.
The drill would involve a cellular rocket launcher seen as a counter-measure to attainable attacks from Chinese surface-to-sea ballistic missiles, the paper said.
In recent years, Chinese warships have ceaselessly sailed thru waters close to Okinawa, where the majority of US troops in Japan are based.
Experts say China's increasingly active maritime actions are a part of a plan to establish keep an eye on of waters throughout the so-called "first island chain" that hyperlinks Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Some analysts consider Beijing seeks to finish US army dominance within the western Pacific by exerting keep an eye on of the second one island chain that hyperlinks Japan's southern Ogasawara island chain, the USA territory of Guam, and Indonesia.
China's rapid army build-up has unnerved Asian neighbours, with Japan's defence chief final year pronouncing China were "unilaterally escalating" its army actions within the earlier year.
Beijing insists the actions are for self defence.
Despite expanding army rivalry, the USA and China are each and every other's greatest trading companions and China is one among greatest holders of US national debt.
An enormous bilateral business imbalance has then again caused frictions between the sector's most sensible two economies, with Washington and Beijing imposing tit-for-tat price lists on greater than USD300 billion value of products in total two-way business final year.
The US army has informed its Japanese counterpart it plans to deploy surface-to-ship missiles within the strategically necessary Okinawa this year for the first such drill by Japan's key best friend, the Sankei Shimbun reported, without citing resources.
The drill would involve a cellular rocket launcher seen as a counter-measure to attainable attacks from Chinese surface-to-sea ballistic missiles, the paper said.
In recent years, Chinese warships have ceaselessly sailed thru waters close to Okinawa, where the majority of US troops in Japan are based.
Experts say China's increasingly active maritime actions are a part of a plan to establish keep an eye on of waters throughout the so-called "first island chain" that hyperlinks Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Some analysts consider Beijing seeks to finish US army dominance within the western Pacific by exerting keep an eye on of the second one island chain that hyperlinks Japan's southern Ogasawara island chain, the USA territory of Guam, and Indonesia.
China's rapid army build-up has unnerved Asian neighbours, with Japan's defence chief final year pronouncing China were "unilaterally escalating" its army actions within the earlier year.
Beijing insists the actions are for self defence.
Despite expanding army rivalry, the USA and China are each and every other's greatest trading companions and China is one among greatest holders of US national debt.
An enormous bilateral business imbalance has then again caused frictions between the sector's most sensible two economies, with Washington and Beijing imposing tit-for-tat price lists on greater than USD300 billion value of products in total two-way business final year.
Eyeing China, US to hold missile drill in Japan's Okinawa: Report
![Eyeing China, US to hold missile drill in Japan's Okinawa: Report]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 03, 2019
Rating:
