"Japan, the United States, and South Korea Hold 'Freedom's Blade' Joint Military Exercises in the East China Sea"

Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, September 7 (Reporter Li Ziyue, Chen Zean) - Japan, the United States, and South Korea held the "Freedom Shield" joint military exercise in the East China Sea on the 7th, which will last until the 11th. This development has sparked protests from Japanese civic groups.

According to a report by Japan's Jiji Press, citing information from the Japanese Ministry of Defense's Joint Staff Office, in this joint military exercise, in addition to Japan deploying the Aegis destroyer "Atago" and P-1 patrol aircraft, the three countries will also deploy vessels, fighter jets, and other equipment. The joint military exercise will focus on maritime and aerial operations, as well as multiple domains such as space and cyber, and will promote the expansion of integrated air defense and missile defense cooperation.

Japan Broadcasting Corporation stated that this is the fourth time the three countries have held the "Freedom Shield" joint military exercise. The scale of the joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea last month was reduced, and the three countries hope to reaffirm their cooperative relationship through this exercise.

This military exercise has provoked opposition among the Japanese public. On the evening of the 7th, a Japanese civic group organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Defense located in Tokyo. The group issued a statement saying that such military exercises "will push military tensions in East Asia to the limit and are extremely dangerous actions"; they must oppose such actions and work together to build a peaceful East Asia.