British F-35B fighters could soon land on a Japanese carrier
The Japan Times understands that part of the joint activities could include having F-35Bs from the Royal Navy's Prince of Wales aircraft carrier touch down on and take off from the deck of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga carrier as the partner navies seek to boost interoperability.
If confirmed, the drills, which could include information exchanges on F-35B operations, would come as the MSDF is set to begin receiving the first of 42 F-35Bs being procured from the United States, most of which it aims to deploy from its two recently refitted Izumo-class carriers.
Accompanying the Prince of Wales to Japan will be two other members of the multinational Carrier Strike Group 25, the British destroyer Dauntless and the Norwegian frigate Roald Amundsen. Other members of the strike group will head to South Korea.
The three warships are expected to make port calls in Japan between late August and early September, with the carrier set to berth at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and in Tokyo. The Japanese capital will also briefly host the Norwergian warship, which will dock at the MSDF's base at Yokosuka with the Dauntless.
The strike group's Japan leg, which follows a stop in Singapore, is scheduled to be its final destination during Operation Highmast — the name of this year's deployment — before the group reassembles and makes its way back home to Britain to end the Royal Navy's second carrier deployment to the region since 2021.
The route has already taken the strike group from Portsmouth in England to the Mediterranean, across the Red Sea via the Suez Canal and through the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia to conduct exercises and port visits with partners such as the U.S., India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
A sailor runs back to her post after a flag-raising ceremony on the flight deck of Japan's Kaga, one of its de facto aircraft carriers. |
REUTERS
Over the coming days, strike group elements will also take part in this year's iteration of the multinational Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia and Papua New Guinea from July 13 to Aug. 4, highlighting that the eight-month deployment is not only aimed at showing presence and making port calls.
Just like with the Queen Elizabeth carrier-led deployment four years ago, this year's mission will also test the Royal Navy's logistical capabilities as well as its ability to operate alongside regional partners.
This is key as the navy seeks to understand how to better operate and exchange capabilities with non-NATO partners while discussing how best to handle potential regional contingencies ranging from disaster relief operations and gray-zone activities to countering hostile cyberactivities and engaging in high-end warfighting.
But the British deployments are also meant to send a dual strategic message — one of deterrence to potential adversaries and another of reassurance to allies and partners that Britain remains laser-focused on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific.
While the country's recently released Strategic Defence Review sets out a 'NATO First' defense approach, it also stresses that this does not mean 'NATO only.'
This comes after the U.K. Ambassador to Tokyo told The Japan Times last year that London will remain laser-focused on the Indo-Pacific as the region remains critical for British economic and security interests.
Of particular importance are ties with Japan, which views Britain as its closest European defense and security partner. In recent years, the scope and frequency of joint military activities with the Self-Defense Forces has grown, including port calls and exercises such as the Vigilant Isles drills.
The two countries are also working together in a number of joint defense-industrial projects, including the development alongside Italy of a next-generation fighter aircraft by 2035.
Many of the military maneuvers are now being facilitated by a visiting-forces pact that entered into force in October 2023.
Known as a Reciprocal Access Agreement, the deal underpins bilateral cooperation, enabling British and Japanese forces to operate and exercise together more easily. Britain was the first European country to sign such a pact with Japan, with France expected to be next.
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