Japan hosts military symposium U.S. hopes will help contain China

Military members from 18 countries watch a joint military demonstration by the U.S. Marine Corps and Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during the Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2022 (PALS22) at JGSDF Kisarazu base in Kisarazu, east of Tokyo, Japan June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Military commanders from Japan, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines and fourteen other countries met in Tokyo this week for a gathering that Washington hopes will help forge cooperation between nations that can help it contain China.

The Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) was started by the United States in Hawaii in 2015 as it began shifting away from a policy of engaging with China to one that tries to hem in Beijing's influence. That included a military pivot by Washington to Asia and a push for deeper ties with like-minded nations in the region.