Japan, U.S. begin large-scale joint exercise with China in mind

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military on Thursday began a large-scale joint exercise mainly in and around Japan's southwestern islands, in an effort to boost their operational capability in those areas, with China's intensifying military activities in mind.The exercise, called "Keen Sword," is scheduled to last until Nov. 19 and will involve about 26,000 personnel from the Japanese ground, maritime and air self-defense forces and around 10,000 U.S. soldiers, including those from the Space Force, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.Drills simulating the defense of rem…READ FULL ARTICLE