The British Army has, say the Ministry of Defence, “reaffirmed the UK’s ongoing commitment to the Asia-Pacific region” with the resumption of the biennial training exercise Vigilant Isles.

British soldiers have trained alongside their Japanese counterparts in a bilateral war game exercise in Gunma prefecture in central Japan. It is a joint exercise on island defence.

“The exercise saw British Forces leading six reconnaissance teams each comprising personnel alongside the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force as part of wider bilateral defence engagement activity. Japanese people got to see another facet of the British Army. The Band of the Coldstream Guards wowed audiences on their tour of Japanese historical settings and concert halls.”

According to a news release that can be found here:

“Members of 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and 104 Regiment Royal Artillery were on exercise Vigilant Isles 22 alongside the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF). They were working together to develop the JGSDF’s operational capabilities and to promote mutual understanding and trust.

This partnership began in October 2018 when the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) trained with the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force on the slopes of Mount Fuji for the first Vigilant Isles exercise. Other than the Americans, no foreign troops had ever conducted military exercises on Japanese soil, in what the HAC’s then Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wood described as “an incredible privilege”.

The Covid epidemic interrupted further collaborative training exercises. Recently, the UK government’s defence and foreign policy integrated review announced a “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific region. In May 2022 Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, visited the UK and signed a defensive partnership. Exercise Vigilant Isles resumed soon after.

At the same time as this important training exercise took place, the Band of the Coldstream Guards toured from Tokyo to Osaka, Nagano, Nagoya, Kyoto and Izumo.”

You can read more on this here.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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45 COMMENTS

  1. Our armed forces have seen some serious deployments over the past 12 months or so. It now appears we have an even greater need of their services over the coming months to provide cover for strikes when needed. Let us hope that they are remembered when they eventually get a pay rise.

  3. Honestly whoever in the hell is writing these press releases in the UK needs to just step back and think for a minute. The audience is not just the UK. It is the country’s that they are doing the exercises with. So many of these press releases are very offensive to the armed forces of the countries that they are supposed to be exercising with That is a real deal. Everyone likes to think they’re contributing and these come off as so unbelievably tone deaf. And this has happened over and over and over again.

    • Again you are here following your anti British agenda! All the article says is they led 6 recce teams of joint personnel,do you not know that this happens regularly with British troops being led by other nations troops in training?
      As for the guards band is that not a soft power demonstration,after all we don’t laugh at other nation bands etc participating in the Edinburgh tattoo etc!
      Again if these articles piss you off so much don’t come on here and read them.

    • Oh dear, your getting angrier and angrier. Stick with the shorter cry baby posts, as when you do more than 3 lines it shows your lack of experience and subject matter knowledge chippy.

      • Oh dear…. Lots of experience Just getting tired of the fanboy posts… And yes the band is lovely… I get it it’s your little safe space but my God. Look at where the Japanese military is heading and where what is left of the UK military is going. Figure it out.

        • This is so easy! You get angry and struggle with that chip on your shoulder! It’s ok, grab some tissue and wipe your nose!

        • You are such a knob aren’t you? You get perfectly reasonable answers to your continues rants and you are either too stupid to understand or just on here to try and get a reaction!Now then just to make it clear the band is obviously on a goodwill tour and judging by the number of Japanese tourists that visit London I dare say they are being well received!British troops are ALWAYS swapping ideas and learning from Allied nations as they learn skill from us.
          now sod off to wherever you claim to come from and give your obvious ‘wisdom’ to those unfortunate people.

        • The Japanese military is getting its budget doubled… which simply brings it up 2% of GDP, which is where the U.K. military already is 🤷🏻‍♂️

    • In this one paragraph you have made yourself look like a right Wally. You should listen to you honourable friend here and and just avoid making ignorant and groundless claims/comments. Everything about this exercises is necessary and welcomed by both sides. Gaining an advantage and knowledge over any enemy force prior to possible conflict means our boys and their allies fight and communicate much more effectively. Meaning they kill more enemy, lose less men if you don’t understand that. Nothing here to write negativity about.. idiot.

  4. The british officer who claimed that this was the first ever non us exercise in Japan is spectaculary ignorant of history .
    .Britain had an occupation force in Japan until 1952.
    The british in Korea and hong kong trained in japan. There have been dozens of exercises since.

  5. Esteban once again demonstrating the massive chip on his shoulder.

    Remind me when was the last time the Japanese SDF deployed on Operations?

  7. And your inadequacies are showing for us all to see and laugh. Cheers, you are slightly amusing in your frothy jealous sadness. .

  8. This is good. I’m reassured to see Britain deepening its military cooperation with Japan. It’s not well known anymore, but our countries had a fairly cosy relationship throughout the late 19th century and through to 1918. The IJN even covered some Royal Navy patrols during the First World War. They’re a high technology country, also island-based, with a lot of similar procurement requirements to us who are also getting a bit sick of US unreliability.

    May the friendship prosper

    • The Japanese released a series of defense guidance documents today, and announced plans to double the defense budget by 2027. They appear to be duly concerned by recent behavior of selected neighbors. Master stroke by Foreign Office to forge closer ries w/ Japan. Believe sufficient development funding for Tempest now assured. 🤔

      • Funding and presumably higher volume. If their defence budget really is rising that’s good news for balance in the region as far as I’m concerned. They already have one of the world’s most credible escort fleets, and no doubt their Air Force will see a lot of action should things go downhill in Taiwan

        • Exactly, this platform, whatever it is finally named, and NGAD (if exported) will split the future market for fighter aircraft.

      • Little known fact, but the only British Battleship to survive into the present day is a modified Formidable Class Pre-Dreadnought, built in Barrow and currently concreted into the ground as a Museum in a suburb of Yokohama called Mikasa.

      • Hi Former USAF,

        The Uk and Japan have a number of things in common, we’re both island nations off the coast of large and often troubled continents. We are also trading nations relient on ocean borne trade. Both continents are going through a period of considerable instability and Japan has the extra motivation of being directly threatened my a certain nutter who likes to show off his shiny new ballistic missiles…

        Given all this it is hardly surprising we get on, but you are correct to point out that the FO has done well to develop the recent developments in UK / Japanese relations. We have been putting a lot of co-ordinated effort in it seems, with the RN port visits, Japanese ships visiting London recently and now the British Army returning to Japan. Soft power paying off big time. The FO is often under appreciated mainly because if it is doing a good job then it is good news which is never hits the news…

        I am very hopeful that Tempest will come off, but there is a long road to travel yet. On balance, promising, very promising.

        As always nice to read your observations…

        Cheers CR

        • Thanks for compliment, CR. Only site wherein I attempt to connect the dots. The really interesting reveal should occur in March. Don’t believe many realize how significant the AUKUS plan and roadmap could be. Nuke sub fleet and underseas projects merely the tip of the iceberg. Cyber, quantum computing, hypersonics and anti-hypersonics will also be on the hit parade. Not certain whether aerospace and space R&D will be enfolded immediately, but eventually will become inevitable. Will be a very interesting proposition to play traffic cop in directing all this activity. Any one remember the scene in the movie ‘Patton, where George becomes a traffic cop? 😁 Believe AUKUS has become a pacing decision in slimeball ChiComs’ timeline for decision by 2027 whether to invade. ChiComs intelligent enough to realize pendulum will be swinging in opposite direction and that they have a limited timeframe in which to act. 🤔

      • Apologies all new data states Japanese defense budget skates ro increase from $53+B to $74+B in 2027. Not doubling but a healthy uncrease.

  9. I’ve got your picture of me and you
    You wrote “I love you”, I wrote “Me too”
    I sit there staring and there’s nothing else to do
    Oh, it’s in colour, your hair is brown
    Your eyes are hazel and soft as clouds
    I often kiss you when there’s no one else around
    I’ve got your picture, I’ve got your picture
    I’d like a million of ya over myself
    I want a doctor to take your picture
    So I can look at you from inside as well
    You’ve got me turning up and turning down
    And turning in and turning ’round…….

    I think the above lyrics would be cancelled today.

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