US Marine Corps anti-ship weaponry to see exercise action on remote Japan island near Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its ground-based anti-ship and air-defense systems to Japan’s southwesternmost island for exercise Keen Sword, placing new U.S.-Japan capabilities on an island sitting just 110 kilometers from Taiwan. Keen Sword, the largest U.S.-Japan biennial joint drill, will feature two key systems of the Marine Corps’ littoral force: the anti-ship NMESI S (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) and air-defense MADIS (Marine Air Defense Integrated System). Yonaguni’s local government disclosed the deployment on Friday, a day after the…