The bilateral military exercise between the US Marines and the Japanese Delf Defense Force, Iron Fist 2023, will conclude today – Photo: US Marine Corps

Iron Fist 2023, a US-Japan joint military exercise hosted by Japan, will conclude today.

The exercise—which was held between the Japanese Self-Defense Ground Forces and the US Marine Corps is designed to increase interoperability between the two forces. It follows a January meeting between the two countries in which they agreed to expand military cooperation.

While Washington and Tokyo have been strengthening their military alliance for the past several years, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the US and Japan increasingly wary of China’s approach to Taiwan. In particular,  China’s firing of ballistic missiles in waters near the island last August and holding of joint military exercises with Russia last May. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has stated that the new agreement will help bolster deterrence and improve security in the Indo-Pacific.

US-Japan military cooperation will continue to intensify, likely taking the form of both increased joint military exercises and increased purchases of US weaponry by Japan. While Taipei has stated that they expect China to invade Taiwan in 2027, CIA Director William Burns has stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to consider the Chinese military ready for a full-scale invasion by then.