The U.S. and Japan are close to signing a new five-year pact for Japan to support U.S. military forces in the country and a new agreement to research and develop new defense technologies.
The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command held talks with top Japanese officials and reaffirmed their alliance amid China’s increasingly assertive claims.
About 100 Japanese troops, along with 60 troops each from the French army and U.S. Marine Corps, will conduct urban warfare drills followed by amphibious operation exercises.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration is committed to work with U.S. allies and those in the region as they face challenges from China and its ally North Korea, which is pursuing an illicit nuclear weapons program.
According to U.S. Navy data, war ships maneuvered close to artificial islands claimed and developed by China 10 times in 2019 and another 10 times last year, at least double the annual number going back to 2014.