Japan’s Defense Forces Secure New Base for US Military Drills

A U.S. Marine Corp Osprey comes in to land next to soldiers from Japans 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade during an exercise with the U.S. 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Gotemba, Japan, on March 15, 2022. Carl Court/Getty Images

The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have been granted approval to build a military base on an uninhabited island in the southwestern Kagoshima prefecture, which will be used to relocate U.S. military aircraft drills.

Kagoshima Gov. Koichi Shiota said Tuesday that his prefecture “has no choice” but to grant the JSDF permission to build a military base on Mageshima Island, citing the “increasingly severe security environment” in the region.