Japan’s counterstrike capabilities is set to receive a boost from the U.S. Defense Department, which on Wednesday backed a $39 million sale of air-to-surface missiles for the country’s F-15J and F-35 fighters.

A construction vessel leaked oil at the site of a future Marine Corps airfield in northern Okinawa this week but caused no environmental damage, according to Japan’s coast guard.

A Marine Corps Osprey made a precautionary landing at a commercial airport in southern Japan on Tuesday after a warning light activated.

Government officials representing Japan and Okinawa repeated pleas to the US military to discipline its population following a fourth sexual assault allegation against a service member on Okinawa in just over a year.

Police on Okinawa suspect a U.S. Marine of sexually assaulting and injuring a woman in November, the fourth such case to surface over the past year.

Chinese coast guard ships sailed near the Senkaku chain a record 355 times last year, as Beijing made good on its promise to increase its presence around the islands. The Senkakus include five uninhabited islets and three reefs 105 miles east of Taiwan and 254 miles west of Okinawa. They are administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.

A Japanese motorcyclist was killed early New Year’s Day in a two-vehicle collision involving a U.S. Marine, according to Japanese police.

Japan will soon set a new legal standard for levels of PFAS in tap water and require regular testing for the chemicals.

Japan plans to put its Osprey tiltrotor aircraft back in the air after imposing safety guidelines affecting the aircraft transmissions announced by the U.S. military last week, according to the Ministry of Defense on Saturday.

Japanese troops removed and defused an American shell believed to be left over from World War II on a small island south of Okinawa’s capital city.