US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM)

Force in Play

Running bomber deployments and joint drills with Japan and South Korea

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan. Then Beijing struck back economically: on January 6, 2026, China banned all dual-use exports to Japan's military—rare earths, aerospace alloys, advanced electronics—citing Tokyo's "egregious" Taiwan stance. Meanwhile Japanese lawmakers visited Taiwan in droves through December, the Liaoning carrier returned home after six days and 260 sorties, and Japan briefed NATO on what it calls China's deliberate intimidation.

Updated Jan 9