“It is the first time that we have received Dutch F-35 fighter planes here,” says General Takehiro Morita of the Japanese Air Force at Misawa air base in northern Japan. “We wish you a warm welcome.” Commander of the Royal Air and Space Forces, André Steur, answers warmly: “We stand together, we deter together and we fight together.”
The name of the joint military exercises taking place in Misawa, in which the United States also participates, also refers to the cooperation with the Netherlands: Kazaguruma Guardian – ‘windmill protector’. After handshakes, a photo opportunity and a hug in front of the parked fighter planes, it mainly looks like a friendly visit.
But the goal is less non-binding. “We practice air combat and attacks on ground targets,” explains Commander Steur. Behind them the aircraft are lined up, ready for departure. Only a small Royal Air Force emblem on the tail reveals which aircraft are Dutch. The engine roar increases to a deafening sound, after which the aircraft take off in short succession at great speed.
North Korean missiles
Japan, long known for its pacifist stance, is embarking on its largest military buildup in eighty years. The defense budget increased to more than 8,000 billion yen (about 43 billion euros) in 2024, an increase of more than 20 percent in one year. Tokyo ultimately aims for more than 2 percent of GDP, above the NATO standard.
According to the Japanese government, this change of course is necessary because of “the most complex security environment since World War II”: nearby North Korea regularly tests missiles fired in the direction of Japan, while China and Russia are increasing their military presence in surrounding seas.
Chinese and Russian ships are increasingly sailing together, including through the Strait of Tsugaru, a strategic shipping route between Hokkaido and the Japanese main island, a short distance from Misawa air base.
The recent meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Donald Trump also showed how fragile the relationship is with the most important ally, the United States. Takaichi managed to placate the American president with economic promises and compliments, while she narrowly avoided military involvement in the Gulf region.
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But Trump has long complained that Japan contributes too little to joint security and has demanded more military deployment and defense investments. This fuels uncertainty in Tokyo about American protection, which is now working hard to find other allies. The country is therefore increasingly seeking cooperation with European partners, which are seen as politically more stable. Including the Netherlands.
American, Japanese and Dutch military aircraft perform a so-called ‘flyover’ during a joint exercise in Misawa, in the north of Japan.
Photo Gavin Hameed/US Air Force
Deterrence through cooperation
According to Commander Steur, the exercise is about deterrence. “We try to prevent a conflict by showing that we work well together with our partners. The idea is that potential opponents will then think: we should not want to go to war with them.”
At the same time, this cooperation also means that a real joint military deployment is not ruled out. “If things go wrong and that deterrence fails, we must be able to fight as one team,” said Steur. It is a signal that Japan welcomes with open arms.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Smaal, who heads the detachment, the cooperation is “seamless”. On his chest he wears a patch with the Japanese flag and his ‘call name’ Smiley, and on his shoulder an emblem of the F-35. “We fly identical aircraft, work with similar procedures and can use local equipment.”
According to Smaal, that is one of the most important lessons from the exercise. “We can fly here with relatively few people and resources. It is important for my unit that we are agile as a small detachment and can be deployed anywhere in the world.”
Also in East Asia, Steur confirms. “Our policy documents state that Defense should not only focus on Europe and NATO. We must also be able to contribute to stability in other regions, including the Indo-Pacific.”
The fact that the Netherlands is focusing more emphatically on the region is relatively new. It was only in 2020 that the government presented one for the first time Indo-Pacific Strategyin which protecting economic interests is central.
This is of course related to the fact that approximately one fifth of world trade passes through the Taiwan Strait. “If tensions rise here, the consequences will immediately be felt in Europe,” says Steur. “So also in the Netherlands.”
Tensions with China
The exercise coincides with a significant deterioration in Japan’s relations with China. Prime Minister Takaichi had suggested that Japan could become militarily involved in a conflict over Taiwan. Beijing reacted strongly.
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China is therefore not happy with more military cooperation between Japan and European countries, and sees the growing emphasis that Western countries are placing on the ‘Indo-Pacific’ region – a term that connects the strategic importance of the regions around the Indian and Pacific Oceans – as a means of leverage for the United States and its allies to limit China’s rise in the region. China itself continues to use the term ‘Asia-Pacific region’ to emphasize that non-Asian countries should have a limited role there.
In a written response to a question from NRC about the Dutch participation in the military exercise in Japan, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that China “remains vigilant against any attempt to stir up unrest” in the Asia-Pacific region and calls on “concerned countries” to focus on activities that keep the region stable.
With the cooperation of Tabitha Speelman in Beijing
