First British soldiers deploy with Japanese troops

BRITISH troops have joined forces with Japanese for the first time on their soil as tensions with North Korea rise.

A senior British general said Japan “will not have to fight alone” as he hailed the country as one of Britain’s most important strategic partners in the Asia-pacific region.

He also stressed Britain was ready to help resist “any change in the status quo [in the region] by force”. The exercise follows Prime Minister Theresa May’s declaration of an enduring trade partnership and a new era of joint cooperation in defence between the UK and Japan. Tension in the region has mounted considerably in recent months as North Korea has continued efforts to achieve nuclear power status.

China has also continued the controversial build-up of military force on disputed islands in the South China Sea. Speaking as British troops begin exercising on Japanese soil for the first time in a historic effort to cement the strategic partnership Lt Gen Sanders sought to build on the goodwill generated by the recent visit of the Royal Navy to Japan.

Fifty soldiers from the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) deployed to Fuji Training Camp on the slopes of the mountain, where they met their counterparts from the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF). The exercise began with a joint helicopter drill where troops demonstrated their rapid reaction capability in front of dozens of Japanese journalists. It continues for the next fortnight in Ojojihara, north of Sendai, a five-hour drive from Tokyo.

Troops will be deployed to observation posts in the rural training area to simulate a joint operation involving a similar number of Japanese soldiers.

The exercise will focus on sharing tactics and surveillance techniques.

Lt Col Mark Wood, HAC commanding officer, said: “The HAC has almost 500 years of history, but this is the first time anyone in the regiment or the British Army has had the opportunity to train alongside the JGSDF. It is an incredible privilege.”

“The Japanese have been incredibly welcoming and excellent partners, and we have learnt a huge amount from them, improving both our mutual understanding and our ability to plan and conduct activity together.”

Despite recent joint exercises with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, this is the first time any foreign troops – with the exception of the Americans – have conducted military exercises on Japanese soil. Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, has been instrumental in encouraging the British presence in response to perceived new threats from North Korea and China.

Lt Gen Patrick Sanders, Commander Field Army, visited the British troops at Fuji yesterday. “No nation operates alone and we want to assure Japan that they will not have to fight alone either.”