By The South Asia Times

BEIJING - The United States and Japan are set to begin large-scale joint military exercises on Monday, involving tens of thousands of personnel and participants from seven other countries, amid protests in parts of Japan and heightened tensions with China, China’s state-run Global Times reported.

The “Keen Sword 27” field-training exercise will run through October 29 at Japan Self-Defense Forces facilities and other locations across the country. It will involve about 45,000 Japanese personnel and 12,000 US troops, according to Kyodo News, as cited by the Global Times.

Seven other countries will also participate, including five joining the exercise for the first time, among them France and Germany, the report said.

The drills come as relations between China and Japan remain strained, with Beijing raising concerns about Tokyo’s military buildup and security cooperation with Washington.

A key development in the exercise is the planned deployment of Japan’s domestically developed Type-25 surface-to-ship missile for training away from its base for the first time since it entered service in March, according to Japanese media reports cited by the Global Times.

Launchers and other equipment for the missile left Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture on Sunday for the Onohara training area spanning Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, Kobe Shimbun reported.

The missile has a reported range of about 1,000 kilometres, potentially putting parts of China’s mainland coast within its reach, according to the report.

Lü Chao, an expert on East Asian studies and professor at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that deploying the missile, alongside emphasis on its potential to strike targets along China’s coast, amounted to a provocation and could further destabilise the region.

He also criticised the participation of NATO members, arguing that their involvement made the exercise more sensitive and potentially dangerous.

These assessments reflect the views of the Chinese expert and the Global Times report; the strategic implications of the missile deployment were not independently established in the material provided.

The planned exercises have also drawn opposition from residents and civic groups in several Japanese communities, according to local media cited by the Global Times.

In Fukuoka Prefecture, a residents’ group submitted requests to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Tsuiki Air Base and the Defence Ministry on October 13, calling for the drills to be cancelled, Asahi Shimbun reported.

The group expressed concern that extending the runway at Tsuiki to 2,700 metres to accommodate large transport aircraft and fighter jets could turn the facility into a major launch site for US military operations. It also opposed the use of Kitakyushu Airport for military purposes during the exercise.

In Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, residents raised concerns at a public meeting on Saturday about Osprey aircraft flights, possible crimes and accidents involving US military personnel, and potential health effects associated with electromagnetic emissions during the drills, according to Miyako Shinpo.

Some residents opposed the exercise itself, warning that a military buildup could increase the risk of conflict and leave their communities vulnerable in the event of a regional war.

In Oita Prefecture, groups opposed to the drills and prefectural assembly members urged local authorities to ask the central government to cancel them, Oita Asahi Broadcasting reported.

The objections followed the arrest this month of a US Marine based in Okinawa over an alleged robbery and murder. The case has renewed public scrutiny of the US military presence in Japan, according to the Global Times report. The allegations against the Marine remain subject to the legal process.

US warships have also arrived in Japan ahead of the exercise. USNI News, the news service of the US Naval Institute, reported that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, cruiser USS Chosin and destroyer USS Decatur had docked at Yokosuka.

Lü argued that the Japanese government was pressing ahead with high-profile military exercises despite public concerns, accusing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration of prioritising ties with Washington over domestic opposition.

The Global Times also linked the heightened tensions to Takaichi’s reported offering at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals. The move drew condemnation from China’s embassy in Japan.

The Keen Sword exercise underscores deepening military cooperation between Washington and Tokyo at a time of growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Japan views its security cooperation with the United States as central to its defence, while China has repeatedly criticised US-led military partnerships in the region, describing them as destabilising.

The deployment of longer-range Japanese weapons and the participation of additional international partners are likely to add to those tensions, even as concerns among local residents highlight the domestic debate over the consequences of an expanded military role.

The exercise is scheduled to continue through October 29.