Japan troops prepare V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for flight during an exercise in Kumamoto, Japan, Oct. 26, 2023. (Kyle Chan/U.S. Marine Corps)
Japanese V-22 Ospreys are set to operate from a U.S. Marine Corps base on Okinawa for the first time and conduct flights to islands near Taiwan during a major joint exercise focused on island defense, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
Three Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Ospreys will deploy to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma during Resolute Dragon, scheduled for June 20-30, according to an exercise plan posted May 22 on the ministry’s website.
The tiltrotor aircraft will fly to Miyako and Ishigaki islands during the drills, also marking the first time Japan’s Ospreys have operated at Miyako, about 220 miles east of Taiwan, a Ground Staff Office spokesman said by phone May 26.
Some Japanese government officials must speak to the press on condition of anonymity.
The Ospreys’ drills include medical training at Vice Camp Miyakojima and transportation training out of Ishigaki Airport, the ministry said.
The Marines already operate two Osprey squadrons from MCAS Futenma.
Resolute Dragon, now in its sixth iteration, will involve approximately 7,300 Japanese troops and 2,300 U.S. service members, III Marine Expeditionary Force announced in a May 22 news release.
Troops will rehearse their joint response to crises and island defense with a focus on air-ground integration, logistics and the defense of key maritime terrain, the Marines said.
Resolute Dragon will also feature advanced Marine Corps systems associated with the service’s Force Design modernization effort, including the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, and the Marine-Air Defense Integrated System, known as MADIS.
Training will happen across Okinawa and Kyushu, including sites in Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Saga and Oita prefectures, according to the ministry.
The exercise comes amid growing tensions with China. Beijing claims Taiwan and the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. In April, a Chinese destroyer and frigate operated in waters between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands near Taiwan.
