Japan's amphibious troop unit modeled after the U.S. Marines began an exercise with the Maritime Self-Defense Force on Tuesday to improve their tactical ability to land on enemy-held shores, among other tasks.The exercise, to continue through May 24 in the southwest of Japan, is the first of its kind since the launch of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in late March, according to the Defense Ministry. The unit's main mission is to defend Japan's remote islands amid China's maritime assertiveness."We plan to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' abilities to …READ FULL ARTICLE