An hourlong amphibious landing by U.S. Marines and Japanese troops over the weekend served as the “key bilateral training event” of Iron Fist, a defining exercise of the U.S.-Japan military alliance.

A Chinese reconnaissance and attack drone was spotted for the first time flying near Japan’s southernmost islands, including Okinawa, as Beijing continues to ramp up aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific.

Japanese police are investigating a bomb threat against this key U.S. military hub in western Tokyo that also serves as the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan. The threat was sent Thursday as a comment through the Fussa city website,

While the culture of Okinawa continues to thrive in Hawaii, the native language of the southern islands of Japan is on the verge of extinction.

Marines rappel during a survival skills course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, Okinawa, Japan, to increase their proficiency at fighting in a jungle environment.

An hourlong amphibious landing by U.S. Marines and Japanese troops over the weekend served as the “key bilateral training event” of Iron Fist, a defining exercise of the U.S.-Japan military alliance.

A civilian employee of the U.S. Navy was taken into custody after a bullet was discovered in his baggage at Naha Airport on Okinawa, a police spokesman said.

Taking place amid China’s growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, the drill was aimed at strengthening the two countries’ response capabilities for the urgent task of defending Japan’s remote islands.

Residents of the Japanese island see U.S. bases as a legacy of war and colonialism, but younger generations also worry about a threat from China.

Rear Adm. Takuhiro Hiragi, commander of Fleet Air Wing 5 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, says his group’s mission is to fly P-3C aircraft over the East China Sea near Okinawa and its remote islands, including Yonaguni, and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku island, which Beijing also claims.

The American base on Okinawa has relocated 105 Marines. But an agreement to move 9,000 in total is colliding with the perceived threat from a rising China.

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets upon spotting China’s GJ-2 armed drone near Okinawa for the first time.