Operation Atlantic Eagles marks the first time ever that Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft will have been to Canada or Europe. —Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Of course, the efforts also allow the Japan Self-Defense Force and Japan Coast Guard to gain important operational experience. The “Atlantic Eagles” deployment to NATO bases marks the first time in history that Japanese warplanes have been deployed to Canada and Europe. Defense innovation and production will become a cornerstone of defense cooperation between Japan and Europe.