Japan guarded U.S., Australian military assets 22 times in 2021

Paper Tigers fighting bag bridgade

Abe/Kishi at work chipping away at the Japanese constitution.

Guarding or stand back watch and learn.

Japan's protection of Australian military assets took place of south of the Shikoku region last November when the Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a joint drill with an Australian frigate.

Fairly sure the Australian frigate could defend itself. If it couldn't then it has no business being designated a "warship".

the two countries agreed in June last year that the SDF would protect Australian military assets in noncombat situations to bolster the countries' "quasi alliance"

Not exactly sure why anyone needs protection in a "non combat" situation, but it is nice to know the two nations have each others backs.

SDF used as a guard dog...

Japan is NOT a tiger of any kind, paper or whatever.

Peter: sure a Australian frigate can defend itself. NO, WRONG Japanese submarines were shadowing acting as defending or protection. Can’t do that with Colin class subs too noisy.

Can’t do that with Colin class subs too noisy.

Your way out of date as that issue was resolved many years ago. The Collins is now one of the quietest Diesel/electric subs in the water.

Yes Peter they found out if they shut down the engine they can not be detected but that only good when it stationary lol. It seem you know about as much as the politicians do.

Let me fill you in on why Australia don’t have any sub. Don’t say the colins class. At best they can be used as amusement rides on show days. Australia can’t build large subs or large vessels. We don’t have the infrastructure starting with our steel mills that can only roll out 3m wide sheets at the most. You need at least 10m wide. EG the sub we need to be 100m long x 11m diameter so using 3m wide sheet is 30 section to be welded together where 10m wide sheets is 10 section welded together. A 30 sectional sub will cause pinging at depts. 10 sectionals sub reduces pinging at depts. that allows the the 10 sectional sub can go deeper without detection.

So you need to transport these 10m wide steel to the ship yard. Has to be by boat and a deep port at the steel mill. EG Japan had this setup in Kobe with the Mitsubishi shipyards.

Now we have fabricate these 10m wide x40m long x100mm thick sheets into 11 dimeter vessels but we only have a 4m wide press to handle 3m x 100mm not 10m wide plus this press must have a deep port again. Australia has none of has type of infrastructure. The Australian Government mandate is that all labour and steel must be Australian made. That why Japan who were first to be given the contract decline. Then the French took it on knowing the same but through if we drag it out and in the end get built in France. Then next thing we heard is we buying American subs which I don’t believe will happen. What will happen is going into a lend least program with Japan who do build the best defensive subs in the world.

Australia will acquire all skills and production capabilities it needs to build what it needs. Pretty simple. They have over a decade to train and build what is needed and they will do so. Your lack of faith in Australian abilities is noted.

The Collins class is doing what is was designed to do and will be doing it for another decade or more with further upgrades and life extensions. It remains a lethal submarine regardless of what detractors may say. Just ask US forces that have been sunk in exercises by a Collins class sub. Including Los Angeles class attack submarines, aircraft carriers and Arleigh Burke class destroyers just to name three.

All democratic nations. lead by the QUAD members need to work together.

Anyone who thinks any military assets don't need defending or escorts has no idea how it works.

Both the US and Australia are grateful for Japan's support.

LOL the US military guards JAPAN 24/7 365 days a year and no headlines!

Japan doing more every single day to support the Quad Alliance, balance China, emergecy plans for Taiwan, defend democracy and freedom.

While South Korea is not part of Quad Alliance, no plans for Taiwan, making the famous 3 promises to China in support.

You should judge South Korea as well instead of giving them a full pass and always expecting more from Japan.

kaimycahlFeb. 7  10:49 pm JST

LOL the US military guards JAPAN 24/7 365 days a year and no headlines!

LOL really? The U.S. has no constitutional restrictions on it's military activity making every one of their actions newsworthy and debatable. Japan does.

Fairly sure the Australian frigate could defend itself. If it couldn't then it has no business being designated a "warship".

Not exactly sure why anyone needs protection in a "non combat" situation, but it is nice to know the two nations have each others backs.

Think of in port security and what happened to USS Cole in a Yemeni port several years ago. It is not normally acceptable for a warship on a foreign visit to put armed RHIBs or similar in the water to guard their ships during foreign visits. Think of airfield security. Japanese forces guarding US or Australian aircraft with armed guards on a Japanese flight line. it is usually considered to be bad manners for your guest to post their own armed guards on foreign visits so often they do not. On US airfields I have seen NATO aircraft sitting unguarded on a US flight line. In port security can be security at the pier, and in the water around the ship, and not just armed RHIBs but divers with dolphins (dolphins make great underwater guard dogs) or UUVs. It can also be escorting high value ships into and out of port with armed security craft.

This is not the first time Japanese forces or Australian forces have provided protection for each other.

The 2006 deployment of 600 Japanese engineers to Iraq for reconstruction work was provided Australian military protection for the six month deployment.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/more-troops-to-afghanistan-20060509-ge29ui.html

@Desert Tortoise

I take your point. Port security is generally provided by the host, as is general security on the host's land territory. What is new is protection at sea and in airspace both Japanese and international close by Japan. Every increase is a step forward for bilateral cooperation and is good for the region.

Guarding during times of peace? Joke.

Guarding during times of peace? Joke

No joke. The Chinese sent people right through the gates of some US Naval Bases in the US. Just drove past the guards seeing how base security would react. They apparently didn't know there are pop up barricades in the roads. Some ended up dead either from crashing into the barricades of shot by security. In another case some Chinese walked around from a civilian beach into a Navy Base in Key West and started taking photos of the facilities. They underestimated the bases security team. They were arrested. Innocent tourists, right? I don't think so. A fellow I work with remembers an incident on a ship he was attached to where during a port call a visitor to the ship was observed removing some material from the exterior apparently thinking it was a radar absorbent coating. They didn't get what they were after and instead were detained. There are all kinds of state actors out there trying to snitch things, get close up photos of equipment for analysis by their intel people or sabotage things. It's real, it happens frequently.

Peter14Feb. 8  03:55 pm JST

This is not the first time Japanese forces or Australian forces have provided protection for each other.

The 2006 deployment of 600 Japanese engineers to Iraq for reconstruction work was provided Australian military protection for the six month deployment.

And that is not the first time either:

" The Japanese were our allies in the Great War. They were called on to protect our troops and their battleship, Ibuki, was part of the fleet that sailed from Albany on November 1, 1914."

https://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2014/08/15/4068010.htm