Japan Dispatches Fighter Jets to Southeast Asia... "First Time Since the Pacific War"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunju Lee] Japan has dispatched fighter jets to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries.

According to a report by Japan's Kyodo News on the 6th, an F-15 fighter jet belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force took off from Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Kyushu, and landed at Clark Air Base north of Manila, Philippines. This marks the first time since the end of the Pacific War in 1945 that Japan has sent fighter jets to an ASEAN member country.

The Philippine Air Force held a welcoming ceremony while flying in formation with the Air Self-Defense Force fighters. The two countries have no separate training plans and are expected to engage in exchanges until the 11th of this month.

Anti-Japanese sentiment developed in the Philippines after it was occupied by Japanese forces during World War II. However, recently, to counter China's expanding influence in the South China Sea, the Philippines has been strengthening defense cooperation with Japan.