Ground Self Defense Force conducts live fire drill

Japan's Ground Self Defense Force on Saturday held a live-fire drill at its training grounds near Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The annual exercise, held since 1961, comes as the government moves to expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces and boost the defense budget.

About 3,400 GSDF personnel participated, using 70 tanks, amphibious vehicles, drones and V22 Osprey aircraft. Some 57 tons of live ammunition worth 1.07 billion yen were used, the defense ministry said.

The exercise was based on the scenario of retaking one of Japan's southern islands that had been invaded by enemy forces.

The exercise is the biggest event staged by the Ground Self-Defense Force each year. The drills were live-streamed.

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No doubt China will find a paranoid way of using this as proof that Japan is targetting it. Wait for the regular sermons.

Same old …

A kind of spectator sport.

And Gotemba ain't Miyakojima.

Events like this are to show off to

the locals, to inspire hope

Does it work?

Just number 1

Live drill? It's more like annual fireworks. While around the world they adapt with drone in their tactics, this annual firework show same thing every year.

The British has coming to an conclusion,that a vindictive Russia pose a threat to them,this give the US more power over insecure nation,this why countries, should not be dependent on the US , American allegiance change as do the government,may not have your back

Every year they are shooting at the volcano. Nothing special!

In this 21st century, could there become a point the J army be required to 'to endure the unendurable and bear the unbearable'?

Total sacrifice.

The Government of China be warned,

Japan people are devoted to peace.

However, I suggest that peaceful length of string, from the endurance of defeat could reach a point that the people of Japan will once again never surrender, even in the face of insuperable odds.

NATO, the free world will support Japan devotion to peaceful co exitance

10 billion yen or around 7 million Euros? (did I get the math correct?)

That's a lot of fireworks. It was a nice today, so it might have been interesting to see daytime fireworks.

This "annual event" is something most militaries do monthly or even more often depending on how good of a military they are and how much they budget for live firing training for their troops. I would hope these troops get to live fire more than once a year.

Live fire drills are a common military practice. Not sure why this is news.

It is what troops do.

Good luck fighting Russian and their allies

There you go folks.

Your tax money being burned!

Putin is pissed off,he gonna make Japanese lives miserable,by setting up hostile action near the Kurils

Russian only respect America,it you do not live in America,you are at the mercy of Putin

If you really believed that, you would understand why countries want to be part of NATO. You're a very conflicted person running around saying "countries should ally", but but but "don't do NATO!". NATO is here and it keeps the autocracies in their borders.

Self contained conflicts?

These drills have little worth, believing that WMDs won't be deployed to wipe out armies is unrealistic.

These drills have little worth, believing that WMDs won't be deployed to wipe out armies is unrealistic.

The autocracy brigade went for a limited war in Ukraine. There is every reason they would try to do so as well for an invasion of Taiwan.

Is Japan going to become like the U.S.A.? With guns in every two households? And citizens and neighbours killing each other ? And parents send their children to school not to learn but to be sitting ducks for their killers? If not, will Japan please stop these stupid Ground Defences Forces exercises costing billions or trillions of yen?

Military weapons are usually not shared with the public... And also we do still step outside in the United States.

nosuke

Good luck fighting Russian and their allies

It doesn't really seem to be all that difficult, though.

Necessity of tanks in Japan where has little flat ground is doubtful.

These drills have little worth, believing that WMDs won't be deployed to wipe out armies is unrealistic.

On the contrary, believing that WMD's will be deployed to wipe out armies is unrealistic. Given that it has never yet happened since the only use of Nuclear weapons in ending WWII. There have been wars since then that include conflicts where the following have been combatants Russia, America, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and all of them being nuclear armed yet none have used Nuclear weapons to destroy armies or for any other objective.

So dont go holding your breath waiting for a nuclear strike. Opening pandoras box may wipe out an army, but it wouldn't stop there and thats why they do not get used. Threats come thick and fast but actual usage is a "no cross line" that nobody who wants to live and keep their country safe will ever cross.

Necessity of tanks in Japan where has little flat ground is doubtful.

They are essential for urban warfare when used in conjunction with infantry. Study up on the new Type 10 tank. It was designed for the narrower streets and lower bridge weights necessary to fight south of Hokkaido. It is considered to be the first 5th generation tank with extremely advanced metallurgy designed to improve protection while reducing overall weight. In Hokkaido any Russian assault would involve large armored formations and is why Mitsubishi collaborated with Kraus-Maffei-Wegman to design the Type 90, which is essentially a Japanese Leopard 2 and is one of the worlds great tanks.

Self contained conflicts?

These drills have little worth, believing that WMDs won't be deployed to wipe out armies is unrealistic.

China is not going to knowingly and willingly start a war with the entire western world to recover Taiwan. They will attempt to limit any action to the immediate area around Taiwan will deterring other nations from entering the conflict. They are not going to go nuclear from day one because that only invites an immediate overwhelming nuclear reprisal from the US. It defeats the whole purpose of trying to forcibly reunify Taiwan if you lose half your mainland cities in the process.

Even during the Cold War we never expected the Soviets to go nuclear from the beginning, What we expected was they would attempt to conquer western Europe less the UK in five days, before the US could reinforce Germany, and present the west with a fate accompli essentially daring the US and UK to go nuclear at that point. Some thought the Soviets could pull it off. The US felt they could grind a Soviet invasion to a halt and reinforce rapidly enough to push them back without resort to nuclear arms. The US also felt their new B-2s and F-117s could attack Soviet nuclear forces with conventional arms, B-2s with bunker buster bombs blowing their silos, F-117s hunting mobile missiles, deplete the Russian arsenal and leave they vulnerable to a NATO nuclear reprisal. Use conventional arms to change the nuclear balance in the west's favor. That btw remains a valid tactic as the F-35 very much replaces the F-117 in that role and the B-21 comes on line to replace the B-1 and B-2.

When China considers an attack on Taiwan they very much have to consider USAF B-2s and B-21s taking down their nuclear arsenals with conventional arms so as not to initiate a nuclear exchange. Would the Russians or Chinese risk a nuclear war and utter devastation to use their nukes before they were lost to conventional attack. Also consider those B-2s and B-21s can take out their command and control first day, temporarily eliminating their ability to send the launch commands and buying some time to attrite their nuclear forces before they can restore their launch command system.

There you go folks.

Your tax money being burned!

Heck of a lot less costly than seeing your cities burned. Having sufficient armed forces available, with their forces visibly well trained (you very much want your adversaries to see your high level of training) and the veiled threat to use them prevents wars, and that is always less costly than being unarmed or under-armed and becoming an easy target for an adversary. Being unarmed does not guarantee peace but rather guarantees some other nation comes hunting. The predator always looks for the easy prey. They attack deer, not badgers.

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