A Japanese court sentenced a U.S. Marine to seven years in prison after convicting him of strangling and attempting to sexually assault a woman on Okinawa.

Thousands marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, as U.S. and Japanese officials delivered messages of peace in separate ceremonies.

The offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey carried out the passage as part of a freedom-of-navigation operation that was welcomed by Taiwan, shortly after a Japanese destroyer made a similar trip. The transits come amid rising regional tensions. 

Japanese prosecutors have indicted a U.S. Marine who allegedly fled the scene of a drunken driving crash last month that injured four people, including two children.

Chinese fighter jets had two close encounters with Japanese patrol aircraft as Beijing’s two aircraft carriers operated simultaneously in the Pacific for the first time, according to Japan’s military.

Japanese troops demonstrated a new, explosion-proof container that improves safety during the removal of unexploded U.S.-made ordnance left over from World War II.

A verdict and sentence are expected later this month for Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, who was accused of strangling and injuring a Japanese woman during an attempted sexual assault last year on Okinawa.

An explosion occurred at the northern section of a munitions storage area on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, according to the Air Force.

A U.S. Marine accused of injuring a woman during an attempted sexual assault told a Japanese court he was “not violent” and spent only five minutes at her home.

A U.S. airman convicted in Japan of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor is scheduled to begin his appeal trial next month, according to court documents.