By Yu Shijie and Pei Yongzhen
It is reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) recently announced that it will dispatch its Special Boarding Unit (SBU) overseas for the first time. Additionally, in early May, the JMSDF deployed a fleet to carry out the "largest-ever Indo-Pacific deployment." For some time now, Japan has been repeatedly breaching its "exclusively defense-oriented policy" and frequently engaging in defense and security cooperation with certain countries. These acts once again reveal Japan's ambition to break free from the constraints of its pacifist Constitution and promote military expansion.
Established in 2001, the SBU is a special forces unit under the JMSDF, responsible for inspecting suspicious vessels. It is reported that Japan, on the pretext of "requests from relevant countries," plans to dispatch the SBU to several Pacific Island nations to provide varying levels of support.
"Japan has never dispatched the SBU to other countries. It is a tentative move," said Sun Wenzhu, an associate researcher at the China Institute of International Studies. Sun noted that Japan's implementation of the Legislation for Peace and Security in 2016 further expanded the operational scope of its Self-Defense Forces (SDF). By dispatching the SBU, Japan aims to incrementally push the SDF to achieve "freedom of action" in neighboring regions and even globally.
It is also reported that on May 3, the JMSDF deployed a fleet of ships, including the JS Izumo and JS Kaga, to the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean for a seven-month deployment. During this period, the fleet will visit countries such as the US and Australia, and participate in a series of joint naval exercises. Both the JS Izumo and JS Kaga have completed the first phase of their conversion into aircraft carriers, becoming de facto light aircraft carriers.
"Many analyses refer to this action as the 'largest-ever Indo-Pacific deployment' by the JMSDF. Japan's recent military activities are concrete measures to implement the three security and defense related documents," said Zhu Xiaoqi, a researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China. Japan introduced the new National Security Strategy and other security documents in 2022, which proposed maintaining and developing a so-called "free and open international order" in the Indo-Pacific. Guided by these documents, Japan has been raising its defense budget annually, expanding the scale and scope of joint military exercises, and continually upgrading its defense and security cooperation with countries outside the region. For example, Japan signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Australia and accelerated discussions with the Philippines to sign a similar agreement.
Sun said that Japan's repeated military breakthroughs are directly related to US encouragement. The US openly declared in its Indo-Pacific Strategy that it would assist in modernizing Japan's SDF, making Japan a security pillar in the Indo-Pacific region. Japan, in turn, seeks to support the US-led hegemonic order in exchange for US recognition, thereby enhancing its status in the US-Japan alliance and ultimately achieving its "dream of becoming a political and military power".
The collusions between Japan and the US do not contribute to regional stability. Experts interviewed indicated that dispatching the SBU and deploying a fleet for long-term overseas missions both indicate Japan's increasing intention and capability to intervene in regional affairs, and the military entanglement between Japan and the US is deepening. These trends warrant high vigilance from regional countries.
