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The Australian Defence Force will take part in the Japan-US Exercise Yama Sakura 85, deepening the nation’s interoperability and mutual defence capability with the two Pacific nations.
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The exercised commenced on 4 December at Camp Higashi-Chitose on the Island of Hokkaido.
Exercise Yama Sakura was first held in 1982 to improve interoperability between Japan and the US, as well as to practice command and control for large-scale operations.
Australia has been an observer at the exercise for over a decade.
It is expected that Australia will task over 200 members of the Australian Defence Force personnel to take part in the large-scale command post training exercise with the two partner nations.
Defence confirmed that the Australian Army was extended an invitation to take part in the exercise following the conclusion of Exercise Yama Sakura 83.
“Australia’s participation in Exercise Yama Sakura 85 is a significant step forward in trilateral cooperation in support of an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Major General Scott Winter AM, Commander of the 1st Division, told Defence.
The exercise is set to include 230 members of the Australian Army, 1,500 members of the US Army, and 5,300 members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.
Yama Sakura 85 is expected to be the largest iteration of the exercise to date.
The exercise was launched weeks after Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles used his official trip to Japan to reinforce the strategic partnership between the two nations.
As part of the visit, the DPM reinforced Japan’s central role as an “indispensable partner” to Australia during his conversations with his Japanese counterpart, Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru.
The two ministers officially welcomed the entry into force of the landmark Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement, transforming bilateral defence cooperation and enhancing the interoperability of forces. The pair also discussed a number of recent milestones in the strategic partnership, including:
- First applications of the Reciprocal Access Agreement last month in the mutual deployment exercises of F-35As, including for Exercise Bushido Guardian.
- Live firing of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s surface-to-air and surface-to-ship missiles during Exercise Talisman Sabre using Australia’s training ranges.
- Australian Defence Force (ADF) participation in Japan-United States exercises, Yama Sakura in November 2023 and Keen Edge in February 2024.
- Progress under the JDSC to enhance the scope, objectives, and forms of enhanced operational cooperation.
DPM Richard Marles said, “Our growing strategic alignment contributes to shared security challenges in our region and is key to promoting an open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This is my third visit to Japan as Deputy Prime Minister, demonstrating the importance I ascribe to the bilateral defence relationship.”
