TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan and Taiwan are moving to make joint coast guard drills a regular practice and may include allies and like-minded countries in the future.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Friday that in mid-June, the Japan Coast Guard and Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration sent ships to international waters south of Japan’s Sakishima Islands to simulate a maritime rescue operation, per CNA. Japan deployed the helicopter-equipped Mizuho, while Taiwan sent its largest patrol ship, Yunlin.

In July 2023, the Taiwan and Japan coast guards held a search-and-rescue drill off the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. That exercise marked the first joint maritime training since Japan and Taiwan severed diplomatic relations in September 1972.

Since Japan and Taiwan broke off diplomatic ties they have maintained practical exchanges through the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association. The Japanese government classifies these joint exercises as “exchanges” based on memorandums of understanding signed in 2017 and 2024.

In addition to the memorandums, senior officials from both agencies, including Taiwan’s Coast Guard chief, have held discreet meetings in Taipei and Tokyo in recent years. Through consultations and on-site visits, they have continued to deepen cooperation.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said that this strengthened cooperation is due in part to “China's coercive actions around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture and the waters surrounding Taiwan."