A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force landing craft air cushion re-enters the water during an Iron First drill at Nakayama Beach on Tanegashima, Japan, March 2, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
TANEGASHIMA, Japan — Japan’s only amphibious unit carried out a beach-landing drill this week in heavy rain and rough seas, adjusting operations as part of a joint exercise with U.S. Marines aimed at strengthening defense of the country’s remote islands.
Monday’s training, held on Tanegashima, an island south of Kyushu, was part of the three-week Iron Fist exercise, which includes at-sea maneuvers, amphibious assaults and ground combat operations at multiple sites across Japan through March 9.
The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade — a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force unit established in 2018 and modeled in part on the U.S. Marine Corps — tweaked its plans Monday because of worsening weather conditions. Strong winds and high waves forced commanders to cancel a scheduled joint boat landing involving both U.S. and Japanese troops.
“The boat landing was canceled due to weather, taking into consideration the size of the waves,” Lt. Col. Masanobu Takahashi, spokesman for Japan’s Ground Component Command, said before the drill.
A waterspout appears during Iron Fist drills off Tanegashima, Japan, March 2, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
Anchored offshore were the U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, alongside the Japanese transport ship JS Osumi and helicopter destroyer JS Ise.
“Both the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade commanders are on board the Tripoli and the Ise, respectively, reviewing weather and sea conditions to create training plans, and both commanders make their own decisions,” he added.
U.S. Marines watch as a Japanese landing craft air cushion lands at Nakayama Beach on Tanegashima, Japan, March 2, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
Five Marines remained ashore to observe as Japanese forces proceeded with limited landing operations.
Two Japanese landing craft air cushions, or LCACs, departed from the Osumi, roughly eight miles offshore, and approached Nakayama Beach at about 9 a.m. The first craft unexpectedly turned away about 500 feet from shore before attempting another approach.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force landing craft air cushion makes a sudden turn about 500 feet from the shore while training off Tanegashima, Japan, March 2, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
“I have never seen something like this before,” Capt. Arinori Suzuki, a brigade spokesman, said during the drill. “I believe it was because the boat was pushed by the strong waves and couldn’t find the right angle.”
Capt. Sean Powell, the Marine expeditionary brigade’s exercise control officer-in-charge at Tanegashima, said such adjustments are not unusual.
“It might have been the landing spot,” he said. “The pilot may have been thinking of landing there but decided against it and tried again.”
A second Japanese landing craft reached the beach without incident. Marine Corps landing craft operations slated for the day were canceled because of the weather.
“Regardless, U.S. and Japanese forces achieved valuable training objectives including integrated staff planning and coordination for a complex amphibious maneuver,” said Maj. Edward Pingel, spokesman for the Marine expeditionary brigade, by email Monday.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force landing craft air cushion comes ashore during an Iron Fist drill at Nakayama Beach on Tanegashima, Japan, March 2, 2026. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
Later, MV-22 Ospreys flew about 50 Marines from the Tripoli to shore, while similar helicopter operations by Japan were canceled because of weather conditions.
Japan created the amphibious brigade amid growing concerns about the security of its southwestern island chain, which stretches toward Taiwan and includes territory near disputed islands in the East China Sea.
“The units are practicing to improve,” Suzuki said. “There are many procedures involved in these amphibious assaults, and one small mistake can delay the entire operation. We are training for that.”
