US, Japan poised to agree on shift in Marine unit on Okinawa

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials from the United States and Japan are expected to agree to changes in the joint defense posture this week as the two nations confront rising threats from North Korea and increasing aggressiveness from China. U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet on Wednesday with their Japanese counterparts and plan to issue a joint statement that will adjust, but not increase, the American troop presence on the island of Okinawa. Officials say the agreement will transform an existing Marine regiment into a new, more rapidly mobile unit designed to be better able and equipped to fight an adversary in a contested region.