U.S. to Deploy Upgraded Marine Unit on Japan’s Okinawa, Says Defense Sec. Austin

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says Washington will deploy a new missile-armed mobile Marine unit across Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, as Washington and Tokyo step up military cooperation meant to deter China. During a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, Austin said that the new Marine Corps unit, to be called the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, would also be equipped with advanced intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities. “These actions will bolster deterrence in the region and allow us to defend Japan and its…