Japan, EU, and Southeast Asia nations to hold joint maritime security exercise in Bangkok

Japan, the European Union, and five Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, will conduct a joint exercise in late March to address security challenges in so-called "grey zones" — situations that pose a threat but do not constitute direct armed attacks. 

The two-day exercise, set to begin on March 25 in Bangkok, will involve members of the national coast guard services from the participating countries, Caliber.Az reports, referring to Japan’s NHK television channel.

The drills will focus on handling incidents that fall outside traditional military confrontations, particularly those related to maritime security and infrastructure protection.

NHK cited examples of such grey zone incidents, including the presence of Chinese maritime police vessels near the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu), which Tokyo claims as its territorial waters, as well as cases of submarine cable damage in Europe.

The participants will study best practices for responding to unauthorized incursions into territorial waters, relying on Coast Guard interventions rather than military force. Additionally, they will examine the application of international law in cases involving damage to critical underwater communication infrastructure.

This marks the first time Japan and the EU are jointly engaging in such an exercise. According to NHK, Brussels aims to strengthen cooperation with Tokyo as part of efforts to counter China's growing maritime activities.

A European source told NHK that the EU is increasingly concerned about Beijing's actions at sea and sees the exercise as an opportunity to "uphold the rule of law" in collaboration with nations that "share common values."

The upcoming drills follow a major multinational exercise held on January 13, when Japan's Self-Defense Forces conducted joint manoeuvres with the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Australia. Those exercises took place at the Camp Narashino range in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.

By Tamilla Hasanova