Paratroopers from Japan, U.S., U.K. Begin Joint Drills; Exercises Planned to Boost Cooperation as Chinese Activities Expand in Ocean

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:08 JST, January 14, 2026

A series of multinational drills including paratroopers from the Ground Self-Defense Force, the U.S. Army and the British Army began Tuesday at the GSDF’s Camp Narashino in Chiba Prefecture.

The joint drills aim to strengthen cooperation between Japan and its allied and like-minded countries, with an eye on China, which is increasingly projecting its strength at sea.

It is the first time that GSDF paratroopers have ever conducted drills inside Japan together with U.S. and British counterparts.

The drills will be held in several places, including the GSDF’s Ojojihara Maneuver Area in Miyagi Prefecture, through Jan. 20.

More than 600 personnel are participating in the drills, and others from 10 countries, including Germany and France, are joining as observers.

At a ceremony to mark the start of the drills on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Yoshitaka Ishihara, commander of the First Airborne Brigade of the GSDF, told the participants, “It is extremely meaningful that paratroopers from our allied and like-minded countries are getting together and demonstrating their will to keep the status quo from being changed by force.”