"A record 15 countries took part in Japan’s annual 'first parachute training', a military exercise simulating the recapture of an occupied remote island. The training was held at the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s Narashino Training Area in Chiba Prefecture on Sunday. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi observed the exercise and even took part in a mock parachute jump from an 11-meter training tower at Camp Narashino. Footage shows Koizumi suspended from the tower and leaping towards the ground, before later delivering a speech to mark the occasion. "This year's parachute training began with the participation of a record number of allied and fellow countries, a total of 15, making it an extremely large-scale multinational exchange event for an airborne forces,” Koizumi explained. “This is the result of the path of international cooperation that Japan has built over the long years since the end of the war, and I believe it was a very meaningful opportunity to demonstrate stronger cooperation and collaboration with many allies and fellow countries in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, including Belgium, Thailand, and Turkey, who participated for the first time," he added. Other participating countries included the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. Koizumi said the training focuses on enhancing island defenses, which continues to be a significant topic in ongoing national security discussions. The exercise featured advanced technology, including a four-legged robotic drone called “Vision 60,” which were lowered from a CH-47 transport helicopter."