

AP - Japan is stepping up efforts ahead of new U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s visit next week to break a stalemate over the relocation of a Marine base that has stalled the restructuring of U.S. military forces in Asia.

Reuters - China’s naval forces are likely to step up their activities in waters around Japan, Tokyo’s annual defense report said Tuesday, the latest expression of regional security concerns about China’s military buildup.

AFP - The United States and Japan scrapped a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a US base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition in both countries.

AFP - The United States and Japan acknowledged Tuesday that they would miss a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a US base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition.

AFP - Japan and the United States will delay plans to move a military base in Okinawa during top-level talks Tuesday, officials said, as pressure builds for a new solution to the long-running rift.

AFP - US senators said that they have taken a major step to halt a controversial military base plan on Japan’s Okinawa island and called on the Pentagon to make a fresh assessment.