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North Korea and China are the imaginary enemy in military drills the U.S. and Japan have been conducting since Feb. 23, the Sankei Shimbun reported Tuesday. The command post exercises dubbed Keen Edge continue through Friday and come ahead of air, land and sea drills Japan¡¯s Self Defense Force is scheduled to start at the end of March. The aim of Keen Edge is to coordinate communication and command and information flow between the U.S. Forces Japan and the island country¡¯s military. Neighboring countries have each been given a color: Japan is blue, the U.S. is green, North Korea is purple, Russia is red and South Korea is the color of tea, the daily said.
The war games include a simulation where the U.S. finds North Korea getting ready to fire a ballistic missile, whereupon the allies quickly move to defend the borders while U.S. Navy and Air Force stationed in Japan along with the Japanese Maritime Defense Forces step up surveillance in the East Sea with Aegis ships and other vessels. One scenario provides for Japan's air forces to evacuate Japanese nationals from Korea as tensions on the peninsula escalate.
Another prepares for Chinese warships and submarines massing in the East China Sea while a group of apparent civilians make illegal landfall on an uninhabited island disputed by China and Japan before the Chinese vessels invade Japanese territorial waters nearby. That is met by intensified patrols from Japan¡¯s Maritime Self Defense Force and mobilization of warships and aircraft.
Meanwhile, ground forces stationed in Kyushu prepare to counter an attack from Chinese forces, while the Air Self-Defense Force is given orders to move F15 fighters from the mainland to Naha Air Force base on Okinawa and Miyagozima Airport. The scenario is also designed to hone communication among the Prime Minister¡¯s Office, the Coast Guard and police.
In Tokyo¡¯s 2005 strategic plans, China and North Korea are designated ¡°countries threatening Japan¡¯s safety,¡± and while chances of an invasion from China are rated ¡°low,¡± an invasion from North Korea is considered ¡°an existing possibility.¡± Japan¡¯s Defense Agency and Self-Defense Force are wary of designating China a clear and present danger out of concern for diplomatic ties. On Feb. 15, a Japanese air force officer earned himself a reprimand by referring to China as an ¡°intimidating presence for the Self-Defense Force of Okinawa.¡±
But the Sankei says while the Japanese government does not officially consider Beijing a threat, the drills are predicated on both China and its ally North Korea being the enemy. However, they no longer include Russia, considered enemy no. 1 throughout the Cold War years. Tokyo and the Self-Defense Force refuse to confirm any reports about the exercises, the daily said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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