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The United States Armed Forces order all personnel stationed in Japan to wear masks when traveling off-base amid criticism of their handling of the increase in COVID-19 cases in areas where they are based in large numbers, such as Okinawa and Iwakuni.
2022-01-6

The United States Forces Japan announces that American troops in the country will begin vaccinations and prioritize front-line medical workers.
2020-12-28

Indonesia renames part of the South China Sea as "North Natuna Sea," angering China.
2017-07-15

The United States military says it will shortly return 4,000 hectares of its Okinawa military installation, 17 percent of the area it controls, to the Japanese government.
2016-07-29

Filipino fishermen say China has deployed up to five ships around the disputed Quirino Atoll, also known as Jackson Atoll, in the South China Sea, preventing them from accessing traditional fishing grounds.
2016-03-1

China reportedly deploys several J-11 and Xian JH-7 fighter jets to the disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea.
2016-02-23

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said, in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, the Obama Administration is preparing to establish a new Special Operations task force of about 200 service members in Iraq to intensify pressure on Islamic State commanders and expand U.S. troops’ direct involvement in battling the militant group. There are now about 3,500 U.S. troops in Iraq, including some Special Operations forces who are advising Iraqi forces in northern and central Iraq.
2015-12-1

Japan has delivered two more ships to Vietnam that will be refurbished into patrol boats. The ships, which arrived in the port city of Da Nang, are the second delivery of a 2014 deal in which Tokyo is to provide Vietnam with six used fishing vessels that will be converted into patrol boats for Vietnam's coast guard in the South China Sea.
2015-11-3

The Philippines asks the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague to invalidate China's claims to virtually all of the South China Sea. The hearing was attended by observers from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2015-07-9

Benigno Aquino, the President of the Philippines, says that his government will start discussions with Japan about allowing Japan Self-Defense Forces to refuel at Filipino bases allowing the extension of operations into the South China Sea.
2015-06-5