Japan Ground Self-Defense paratroopers jump from an Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, Jan. 12, 2025. (Yasuo Osakabe/U.S. Air Force)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — American troops recently joined a 12-nation parachute drill near Tokyo to hone skills needed to recapture remote islands.
Airborne troops from the United States, Japan, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, the Philippines and Singapore participated in Sunday’s drill, a Japan Ground Self-Defense spokesman said by phone Tuesday.
Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
Japan has been strengthening its ability to defend its southernmost islands, some of which are also claimed by China. The islands could become battlegrounds if war breaks out over nearby Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated his intent to reunite the self-governing and democratic island with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Sunday’s operation began with U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron loading 20 U.S. Army and 46 Japanese paratroopers at Yokota in western Tokyo, according to a 374th Airlift Wing news release that day.
“The key objectives of these drops were to celebrate long-standing traditions, while increasing combat readiness between U.S. and international partners,” Capt. Jack Rollings, a C130-J pilot with the airlift squadron, said in the news release. “This sets the tone for a year of continuous growth, collaboration and operational excellence.”
A U.S. Army paratrooper with the 11th Airborne Division descends from a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Jan. 12, 2025. (Yasuo Osakabe/U.S. Air Force)
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force paratrooper conducts a final safety check before leading his team’s jump from an Air Force C-130J Super Hercules at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Jan. 12, 2025. (Manuel Zamora/U.S. Air Force)
Three planes from the squadron were involved along with aircraft from Japan’s 401st Tactical Airlift Squadron, of Komaki Air Base near Nagoya, Yokota spokesman Master Sgt. Nathan Allen said in an email Monday.
“In total, the event saw approximately 200 jumpers from 11 nations, bolstering an ironclad bond between allies and partners while further enhancing readiness and security in the region,” the wing’s news release said.
The paratroopers jumped from around 1,100 feet, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported Sunday.
They landed at Camp Narashino in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo, the wing’s release said.
Video of the drill posted to YouTube by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force shows paratroopers landing in a grassy field before CH-47 helicopters arrive with sling-loaded artillery and armored vehicles.
Attack helicopters hovered and tactical vehicles and motorcycles maneuvered while ground troops engaged in mock hand-to-hand combat, according to the video.
More paratroopers — including members of Japan’s only parachute unit, the 1st Airborne Brigade — floated to the ground before CH-47s landed nearby and disembarked infantry carrying the flags of participating nations to conclude the exercise.
Members of the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska, the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina and the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa were slated to participate in the drill, according to a Dec. 16 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force news release.
Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani observed the drop and told reporters afterwards: ”Ground forces are the last line of national defense,” Japan’s Asahi newspaper reported Sunday.
