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Joint Maneuvers Test GIs Ability to Aid Asian Ally : U.S. Gives Japanese Troops High Marks

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Reuters

“I wouldn’t mind fighting alongside them any time,” observed the veteran U.S. battlefield commander as he watched Japanese troops in mock combat at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

Brig. Gen. John Sherman Peppers, assistant commander of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, was speaking to reporters during a recent joint exercise to test the ability of U.S. troops to help repel an invasion of Japan.

The brigade-level exercise code-named “Orient Shield,” with 1,500 men from each of the two armies, was on a far smaller scale than the U.S.-Korea “Team Spirit” maneuvers involving 200,000 men earlier this year.

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Soviet Threat

Still, U.S. officers said it was a significant test of American capability to come to the rescue of a Far Eastern ally at a time of growing Soviet power in the region.

Under strong U.S. pressure, Japan, with a new five-year defense build-up starting next year, aims to acquire capability to defend itself without American help against any limited, small-scale aggression. The defense plan puts the emphasis on improving naval and air defenses to stop any foe setting foot on Japanese soil.

The recent war game, conducted near Mt. Fuji about 60 miles west of Tokyo, was based on the fictional scenario that American ground forces had been dispatched to Japan to help beat back invaders advancing on Tokyo.

Col. Masatake Ando, commander of the 1st Regiment of Japan’s 1st Division, said all Japanese taking part in the exercise had to learn enough English to use the field communication system.

Brig. Gen. Pepper, a veteran of two tours in Vietnam, said the exercise provided the 25th division with valuable experience in deploying troops and equipment by ship and aircraft to Japan from Hawaii and in field training exercises in this environment.

Col. Kenneth Date of the Japan-based U.S. 9th Corps said it was important for the United States to learn organizational systems and tactics employed by Japanese fighting units.

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“If we have to fight side by side, we must share fire power to support each other when we meet the enemy,” Date said.

The United States has about 47,300 servicemen stationed in Japan, most of them Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel.

The two nations’ navies have been holding joint war games for 30 years, and their air forces for seven years. However, it was not until four years ago that they had their first combined exercise involving ground forces, and then only 60 U.S Marines and 100 Japanese soldiers took part.

The American troops were admiring of their Japanese counterparts.

“Japanese soldiers seem to have good morale and be very well trained and very professional and they have very good military discipline,” said Maj. William Reynolds of the 25th Division.

Brig. Gen. Pepper said, “The Japanese are absolute masters at using natural foliage for camouflage.” He said he would try and adopt their techniques for American forces.

For his part, Gen. Shinichiro Ohkochi, commanding general of the 1st Division of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, said after the exercise: “We have been able to learn a lot of modern tactics. U.S. forces have had a lot of combat experience since World War II.”

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The 240,000 servicemen in the Japanese forces have had no post-World War II battlefield experience.

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