Tokyo, Japan - Mere days after China launched massive military exercises near Taiwan, the US announced on Wednesday that it has joint with Japan to conduct a 10-day series of drills.

In an operation dubbed "Keen Sword," more than 45,000 Japanese and US troops, as well as 40 vessels and 370 aircraft, will come together for a series of drills and exercises across Japan. Australia and Canada will also play a small role in the drills.

Despite the fact that China launched its own series of drills early last week, the Japan-US drills are a scheduled event that takes place every two years. Exercises will continue through November 1.

"We have a strong sense of urgency that we can't rule out the possibility of a serious situation resembling Ukraine happening in regions near our country," said General Yoshihide Yoshida, the top uniformed officer in Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF), on Tuesday.

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The statement was a clear allusion to tensions surrounding Taiwan in recent days, which many see as a potential flash point for large-scale conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

Beijing has been conducting military drills around the self-governed island state of Taiwan since October 13, including live-fire exercises which began yesterday.

In a statement released on Wednesday by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), operation Keen Sword was described as, "The latest in a series of joint-bilateral field training exercises designed to increase combat readiness and interoperability of JSDF and U.S. forces."

"The US-Japan alliance is built on shared interests and values and a commitment to freedom and human rights. Both countries are focused on ensuring regional peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, including building new partnerships and strengthening multilateral cooperation."

Japan has in recent weeks warned that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be used as a model for how future conflicts in the Pacific take place.

In a speech to parliament earlier this month, Japan's new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said that Asian countries should take Putin's attack on Ukraine as a warning.

"Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow. Many people harbor worries such as this," said Ishiba. "I have strong feelings about why deterrence failed to work in Ukraine."

"We will increase the number of friendly and like-minded countries and reinforce in a balanced manner our diplomatic and defense capabilities in tandem to achieve peace for Japan and stability in the region."