U.S. Marines, Japanese Forces to Drill in Southwestern Japan in Iron Fist Exercise

January 24, 2025 1:30 PM
Japan Ground Self Defense Force CH-47JA Chinook pilots with Landing Division 1, fly over the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6), during flight operations with the amphibious dock landing ship USS Green Bay (LPD-20), part of Iron Fist 24, in the Philippine Sea, Mar. 9, 2024. US Marine Corps Photo

U.S. Marines and the Japanese Ground Self Defense will join for a bilateral exercise on Japan’s southwest islands, Japanese officials announced on Friday.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will drill in Okinawa and Kyush from Feb.19 – Mar.7 according to a JGSDF release on Friday. At the same time, Japan Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Wednesday stated that the Ministry of Defense would strengthen the resilience of its defences in the southwest island along with preparing infrastructure to support the eventual deployment of a surface to air missile unit.

Iron Fist 25 is focused on amphibious operations and improving the working relationship between U.S. and Japanese ground forces, according to the release.

The Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will be the main Marine Corps unit in the exercise while the JGSDF units participating in the drill include the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB), 1st Helicopter Brigade and units from the Western Army.

Ships participating in the drills will be amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6), amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD-47) and amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD-22) from the U.S. Navy while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will deploy tank landing ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003) and minesweepers JS Awaji (MSO-304) and JS Chichijima (MSC-605).

Exercise areas include JSGDF Camp Ainoura, Sasebo and JGSDF Camp Takayubaru, Kumamoto, both on the main island of Kyushu, Camp Hansen and Kin Blue Beach Training Area on Okinawa and the southwest island of Okinoerabu, which lies between Okinawa and the main island of Kyushu.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense , in a Friday release, stated that as part of a 2016 U.S. – Japan agreement to conduct military training outside of Okinawa in order to lessen activities around on the island, four MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) and based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma will relocate to Camp Ainoura from Feb. 19 to Mar.7 for training.

Until 2023, Iron Fist was held in California before shifting to Japan’s southwest islands. The region in recent years has become of concern to Japan due to China’s claims on the disputed Senkaku Islands held by Japan along with China’s increasing focus on carrying out drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan. People’s Liberation Army Navy ships and Chinese military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles routinely transit through the international waters and airspace around Japan’s southwest region while moving out of and back into the East China Sea.

Japan in turn has been building up its military presence in the region, deploying units equipped with radars, surface to surface anti-ship missiles and surface to air missiles to garrison remote islands in the region. With the exception of Okinawa, local government leaders have been largely supportive of such efforts, with Japan’s MOD regularly conducting briefings and engagement on its plans and activities with officials and citizens in the region to ensure public support.

In a Wednesday press conference on Yonaguni Island, Japan Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stated that his two day visit to the islands of Ishigaki, Yonaguni, Taketomi and Hateruma Island, which included visiting the troops stationed on Ishigaki and Yonaguni Island, was to learn about the situation of the troops on the ground and the situation in the region, “since the situation is now changing very rapidly, strengthening the defense system in the southwest region in particular is an urgent issue.”, said Nakatani.

The Japanese Defense Minister said that along with speaking with military personnel, he was briefed by the Deputy Mayor of Taketomi on evacuation plans for the islands residents should a threat occur.

“The plan is very detailed and I felt a strong sense of crisis in the remote border islands.”, said Nakatani who added that he visited Taketomi Island and Hateruma Island to check the airport and port sites that will serve as bases for evacuation off the islands.

Nakatani stated that the deployment of troops to the southwest islands had gone smoothly and the MOD will make efforts to improve the resilience in the area along with carrying out efforts to preparing infrastructure to support the eventual deployment of a surface to air missile unit to Yonaguni Island.

Yonaguni Island lies 68 miles east of Taiwan has been identified as a key area in Japan’s planning for the defense of its southwest islands and the disputed Senkaku Islands held by Japan but claimed by China. The island currently hosts a radar site and an electronic warfare unit and last year in August, the U.S. Marine Corps 12th Marine Littoral Regiment deployed an AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (TPS-80) system temporarily to the island.

Nakatani also stated that the Japanese government is working with Okinawa Prefecture, the five municipalities of the Sakishima Islands, Kyushu Prefecture, and Yamaguchi Prefecture to confirm and clarify evacuation procedures from remote island areas through tabletop exercises, and to consider the reception system for evacuees in the evacuation destination areas. He added that the MOD has included the necessary expenses in the FY2025 budget proposal to subsidize the development of specific temporary evacuation facilities in Yonaguni Town, Ishigaki City, and Miyakojima City.

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.

Get USNI News updates delivered to your inbox