Japanese troops will train with US and Australian forces as concerns over China grow

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The defense ministers from the U.S., Japan and Australia have agreed to step up military cooperation and expressed concern about a spate of confrontations with China’s increasingly assertive military. Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles hosted his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nakatani Gen for talks Sunday in Darwin. The ministers announced trilateral amphibious training between Australia, Japan and the U.S. Marine rotational force in northern Australia from 2025. Australia will also join an exercise in Japan for the first time next year.