Video: Japanese troops practise repelling an attack from the sea The display which took place on Tuesday in Shizuoka Prefecture was designed to drum up support for plans to give Japanese troops a broader role in national defence and international peacekeeping operations, officials said. Japan's constitution forbids offensive military operations. The biggest event put on by the ground troops of the JSDF each year showcased live-fire exercises involving 2,400 soldiers, 80 tanks and armoured vehicles, 50 artillery units, 30 aircraft and 600 other military vehicles. The exercise, which was open to the public to watch, focused on a scenario in which Japan was attacked from the sea. One local resident, 70-year-old Sunao Munemasa, said he came to watch the military exercises every year, and considers the JSDF a necessity for the country. We need the Japanese Self-Defence Force in Japan. Japan cannot go on without them and I believe their extraordinary performance should be highly valued," he said.