The US and Japanese militaries are scheduled to conduct joint exercises from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8 to prepare for any crises that might break out on the Korean Peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait, Japan's Ministry of Defense reported on Thursday.
The joint drills are aimed at thrashing out procedures of cooperation between Japan's self-defense forces and US military forces stationed in Japan in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese ministry officials said.
A total of 1,350 members of the ministry and Self-Defense Forces are expected to be joined by 3,100 US troops for the exercises -- the second of their kind since last February.
Any Japanese military contribution would be limited under Japan's Constitution, but the US and Japan have agreed that Japanese troops would provide rear-area support, including supply, transport and medical services, if conflict were to break out in the region, ministry officials said.
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