Russia Protests Joint Training as Spain’s Aerospace Force Joins Self-Defense Forces with Germany and France

On July 19, 2024, combat aircraft from the German Air Force and Spain’s Aerospace Force arrived at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Chitose Base. On the same day, fighter jets from the French Aerospace Force arrived at the JASDF Hyakuri Base in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The purpose of this visit by these three countries is part of “Pacific Skies 24,” a series of joint exercises with visiting nations in the Indo-Pacific region. Before visiting Japan, they conducted joint training with the U.S. Air Force in Alaska.

The JASDF began joint training with Germany in 2022 and with France in 2023, but this is the first time Spain’s Aerospace Force has participated in such training.

Ahead of the training, transport aircraft from the German Air Force and Spain’s Aerospace Force began arriving at Chitose Base on the 18th. The combat aircraft from Germany, France, and Spain are called “Eurofighters,” which are not very familiar in Japan.

The Eurofighter was jointly developed by four countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Development concepts began in the late 1970s, but the project faced various obstacles, such as France’s withdrawal and the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, prototype test flights began in 1994, and the aircraft was introduced and mass-produced starting in 2003 as a European original. Unlike fighter jets from Japan or the U.S., the Eurofighter features a unique design with a canard (forward wing) on the nose.

On the 18th and 19th, the aircraft confirmed to have arrived included eight Eurofighters, one A400M transport aircraft, one C-130 transport aircraft, one A321 transport aircraft from the German military, and four A330MRTT aerial refueling aircraft jointly operated by NATO, totaling 15 aircraft. The Spanish military contributed four Eurofighters and two A400M transport aircraft, making a total of six Spanish aircraft. In total, 21 foreign aircraft arrived at Chitose Base.

The concentration of such a large number of foreign aircraft gave Chitose Base the appearance of a NATO base.

At the welcome event held on the 19th, Major General Nobutaka Tanaka, Commander of the 2nd Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, commented, “From the perspective of maintaining and strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific, joint training is highly significant. Exchanges at the unit level, such as improving tactical theories, promoting mutual understanding, and deepening defense cooperation, will serve as the foundation for future collaboration.”

Also, Colonel Ralf Persicke, the German Defense Attaché to Japan, stated, “In January 2024, we signed the Japan-Germany Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (JASDF-ACSA), which recently came into effect. This has enabled us to provide supplies and equipment repairs, and to conduct future joint training smoothly and quickly between the Self-Defense Forces and the German Bundeswehr. We have benefited from logistical aspects in this training and aim to further deepen and develop the training we have been conducting annually.”

Spanish Ambassador to Japan Fidel Sendagorta Gómez del Campillo remarked, “This is the first time Spanish fighter jets have come to Japan for joint training. As part of our defense cooperation, the peace of the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic is indivisible. The fact that we have crossed both oceans for this training truly reflects the principles of defense cooperation.”

On the other hand, Russia and North Korea have expressed displeasure with this training.

The Russian Foreign Ministry sent a protest note to the Japanese Embassy in Russia, commenting, “The Japanese government’s decision to conduct joint military exercises with NATO in the Russian Far East region is unacceptable.”

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency published a lengthy protest commentary, stating, “Not only did Prime Minister Kishida, who has no qualifications, attend the NATO summit, but now Japan is conducting joint training with NATO member countries in July and August, which is nothing short of military aggression. The Asia-Pacific region is not a stage for NATO’s crusades.” China has not issued any specific comments.

As training with military forces from various countries becomes more frequent, the Self-Defense Forces are approaching a historic turning point.