Reuters: –
Japanese defence forces will participate for the first time in military exercises in Indonesia next month alongside the United States and Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday after talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The two leaders also agreed to cooperate more closely on energy during their second meeting this year following one in late April, with Kishida saying Indonesia was a “key strategic partner for Japan”.
Japan’s Self-Defence Forces would take part in the Garuda Shield joint military exercises to be held in Indonesia from Aug. 1 with the United States, Australia and others, he added.
The annual exercises, typically between Indonesia and the United States, will be “significantly larger in scope and scale” than previous years, the United States has said.
Japan’s involvement comes as Washington and its regional allies step up efforts to counter China’s growing might in the Indo-Pacific region.
