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US-led drills edge Japan and South Korea closer on defence

The key roles played by Japan and South Korea in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercises led by the US have fuelled…

By Samantha Johnson / July 31, 2026
The key roles played by Japan and South Korea in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercises led by the US have fuelled speculation whether the two neighbours could set aside differences over their common history and deepen defence cooperation.

Held in waters off Hawaii, this year’s Rimpac is the world’s largest maritime exercise involving 30 nations, more than 30,000 troops, various aircraft and an armada of surface ships and submarines.

Rimpac, which runs from June 24 to July 31, saw South Korean Rear Admiral In-ho Kim serve as the commander of the combined forces maritime component and Japanese Rear Admiral Takuo Kobayashi as the vice-commander of the combined task force.

“For Rimpac 2026, what stood out is how quickly this multinational force integrated,” US Vice Admiral Jeffrey Jablon, commander of the combined task force, said at a virtual press briefing on Wednesday.

He added that a leadership structure that included Chile, South Korea, Canada and Japan in key command roles had allowed the force to operate as a “cohesive, capable team from day one”.

The involvement of South Korea and Japan in Rimpac comes as the two traditional US allies still disagree and occasionally clash over their difficult history from 1910 to 1945 when Tokyo ruled over the Korean peninsula.

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