Japan Accelerates Tokyo Defense Training as Risks Rise (Full Transcript)
[00:00:00] Speaker 1: I'm on the training fields of Camp Narima inside Tokyo. These are units from Japan's 1st Division. The 1st Division's job is to defend Tokyo in the event of an attack. And while that seemed like a distant possibility years ago, the threat from China and other countries in the region has turned training like this into a much more urgent matter. Many of the commanders here and others tell me that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its full-scale invasion, helped turn what seemed like a distant threat into something far more urgent. So they are training more. And it's also built support in this country for more resources for the military and also the possibility of an expanded mission. This country is undergoing a change, as so many places are, because the threat from China, the threat of war, new technologies from cyber to drones, makes so many things more realistic as a danger.
- Japan’s Tokyo-defending 1st Division is intensifying training due to growing regional threats.
- Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has made the prospect of conflict feel more immediate to Japanese commanders.
- Perceived threats from China and others are boosting support for increased defense resources.
- Japan is considering broader military roles as security realities shift.
- New technologies such as cyber operations and drones are reshaping defense planning and training.