Japan amphibious unit, U.S. Marines conduct drills on remote islands

The amphibious troop unit of Japan's Self-Defense Forces conducted a joint exercise with the U.S. Marines on Sunday in southwestern Japan's Kagoshima, to prepare for operations to regain control of an enemy-held remote island.The drill on Tanegashima Island is aimed at strengthening coordination between the allies on the back of China's maritime assertiveness around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.At around 6 a.m., five boats carrying members of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade of the Ground Self-Defense Force left the transport ship Osumi off Tanegashim…READ FULL ARTICLE