Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Sunday pledged to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' transport capabilities to remote southern islands through a newly launched unit dedicated to maritime logistics amid growing tensions over the Taiwan Strait.
"The unit will enable faster and more secure deployment of troops," Nakatani said at a ceremony in the western city of Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture to mark the Maritime Transportation Group, which was established on March 24 and is based in the city.
The group, placed under the direct control of the defense minister, consists of about 100 members. It aims to have 10 transport ships by March 2028, with two already built, according to the SDF.
The two ship captains are members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, while most of the other crew members come from the Ground Self-Defense Force. The MSDF has been helping train the crews.
The move comes as China increases pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island that Beijing views as its own and has not ruled out using force to bring under its control.
Taiwan is seen as a potential military flashpoint that could draw the United States into conflict with China, posing serious security challenges for key U.S. ally Japan due to the proximity of its far-flung islands, including the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
The Maritime Transportation Group is expected to transport personnel and equipment of the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, dubbed the Japanese Marines and based in Sasebo in the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, in the event of an emergency.
© KYODO
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JeffLee
The headline and lead don't really capture what this news is about. Basically, the government is saying it is bolstering the military's rapid deployment forces.
Toshihiro
can't win wars without logistical support, that's for sure. they may not be the glamorous and awesome part of the military, but they do the heavy lifting, pun intended.
Desert Tortoise
Japan has not maintained an amphibious assault capability since the end of WWII out of respect for the sensitivities of Japans neighbors in Asia. But today thanks to Chairman Xi and his wolf-warrior diplomacy Japan needs to build an amphibious lift capability to protect its many small islands.
deanzaZZR
Last I checked Taiwan was not a Japanese island. That stain has washed away.
Building up logistical shipping and lift capacity does make sense for disaster relief, see the response to the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula last year.
ニック
”In the rear with the gear.” - StarCraft, Terran Builder
BertieWooster
Japan should stay out of this. If the US wishes to have a go at China, let them do it alone.
isabelle
It doesn't matter.
If your beloved CCP ever attacks Taiwan (per its official government policy) that will affect everyone in the region, no matter their country.
And let us hope Taiwan remains independent, and never suffers the horrors of rule under the brutal CCP.
isabelle
No one is "having a go" at China.
It is China that is threatening the peaceful country of Taiwan with absolutely zero justification, and in defiance of the UN Charter, international law, and basic human decency.
deanzaZZR
@isabelle I get the impression you are more comfortable with the legacy of the stain of imperialism. I wonder why that might be.
Anywho, the Chinese on both sides of The Strait will chart a course independent of any Japanese interference going forward. A peaceful resolution is certainly possible, but with people in power in Taiwan like this Lai guy, I certainly get the impression that someone is playing with fire.
isabelle
You get the wrong impression.
FYI, the CCP annexing Taiwan would be imperialism.
Yes, the CCP certainly should drop its threat of violence and leave Taiwan alone. That is the desired "peaceful resolution."
Sadly, the CCP is a totalitarian regime so threats and violence are its way.
And, even more sadly, some people actively support this, to the extent that they cheerlead for it on other countries' websites.
Threatening violent annexation, as the CCP is doing, is playing with fire.
TaiwanIsNotChina
At this point the few Chinese in Taiwan can be put on a boat to the mainland. That would be the peaceful way forward.
You believe Taiwan not surrendering is playing with fire. It's a big problem with CCP mouthpieces.
deanzaZZR
The one playing with fire is "President" Lie who does not have the mental capacity to see how he is getting played by the Hegseths of the current USA administration.