Japanese Self-Defense Forces Members Go to Germany to Learn from the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 29 - The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced on the 29th that several Self-Defense Force members will be stationed at the NATO Ukraine Security Assistance and Training Program headquarters in Germany to "learn lessons" from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to reports from Kyodo News citing the Ministry of Defense, four Self-Defense Force members are scheduled to begin this mission on June 1, with two from the Ground Self-Defense Force and the other two from the Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, respectively. They will be stationed at a U.S. military base in Wiesbaden, western Germany, for a period of one year.

The NATO Ukraine Security Assistance and Training Program began in 2024 and is responsible for coordinating military assistance and personnel training to Ukraine from NATO and partner countries.

Last April, Japan's then-Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi proposed the idea of sending Self-Defense Force members to participate in the program during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Ministry of Defense stated that these four Self-Defense Force members will learn about "new forms of warfare" from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while Japan also hopes to strengthen cooperation with NATO through this initiative.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the four Self-Defense Force members will primarily participate in coordinating assistance to Ukraine rather than combat operations.

In recent years, Japan's right-wing forces have accelerated military expansion, continuously breaking through post-war norms and international regulations such as the principle of "defense only," challenging the post-war international order, and its security policy is increasingly shifting towards offensive, expansionist, and dangerous directions. (Hui Xiaoshuang)