(intense music) - I'm not meant for war. (army members yelling) Who's coming at me? Who's coming at me? This is me training
with the Japanese Army. I'm here to get a closer
look at Japan's military as they prepare for potential invasion. I'm in Okinawa, along this
important island chain that stretches all the way down to Taiwan. As China grows in influence, Japan worries that these islands are vulnerable and unprotected; so they're rapidly expanding
their military here. I plan to visit these military bases to train with their soldiers and to learn of all these
bases, weapons, and troops could provoke the very conflict
they're trying to prevent. - [Reporter] Japan is arming itself like it never has before. - [Reporter] Japan facing its grievous security threat in decades. - [Participant] Biggest military buildup since World War II. (woman speaking in Japanese) - I feel like I need to like
really step up to the plate and be a fighter. (army members yelling fades out) I'm at one of Japan's most
important military bases here in Okinawa; this is where I'll start my training. They're doing morning
announcements right now, and then they're gonna give me my uniform. (calm music) I've spent the last year
preparing for this story, and as I get dressed,
my nerves are starting to get the best of me. (calm music continues) Everything's going smoothly
with the uniform until... (calm music distorts)
Uh-oh. Anything bigger? I have a very large head,
like abnormally large. So anything you can find
that's huge would be great. (staff laughing)
Thank you. I have a very big head. I'm sorry. (army members vocalizing)
(serious music) (serious music cuts out) (serious music resumes)
We start the day with some warmups. I'm doing my best to follow
along, but struggling. (army members rhythmically vocalizing) - Go!
(whistle tweets) (whistle tweets)
(member grunts) (members rhythmically vocalizing) (members cheering) - I'm learning, I'm
learning. I'm getting there. (members yelling)
(whistle tweeting) I'm not used to yelling when I work out, but I think I should probably adopt that. Soon, I'd be yelling more
than I knew I ever could. (members yelling)
(whistle tweeting) Water break. I mean, I think I need
to start working out like these guys: the yelling, the intervals,
the intensity of it. Makes it way more fun. This is just the beginning though. At some point, I have to
thank today's sponsor, so I might as well do that right now. I wouldn't be able to
make big ambitious videos like this without sponsors. So, thanks, NordVPN for making this trip and this reporting possible. A VPN is a way to connect to the internet via a different country,
which you would want to do for a variety of reasons. So, like, I'm in Japan right now. I'm using Nord to connect to the internet via the United States so that my Gmail and all of my
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of 4 extra months for free when you sign up for the two-year plan. So go check out NordVPN; see if it can make your life easier. Yeah, let's get back to
training with the Japanese Army. (patriotic music) Before World War II, Japan
had a massive military that was powerful enough to
conquer a large chunk of Asia. They were able to send
planes across the ocean to attack the United States and Hawaii. The US fought back and
ended up defeating Japan requiring them to write a new constitution that would dramatically
limit their ability to have a military. The US then sent tens
of thousands of troops to occupy Japan, using it
as a way to project power and wage conflict in Asia. Japan and the US went from
enemies to close allies, and for the last 70 years, Japan has relied on the US
presence for their security. This has been the status quo,
but now things are changing. (graphics clicking) In recent years, China has
risen as a global power and has started behaving more
aggressively in the region. Coupled with North Korea's
unpredictable threats and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Japan is now more worried
about its security. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) That's Commander Kitajima,
who we ended up talking to later on the beach, so we'll
hear from him more in a bit. But the point here is that Japan is building back their military, and they're doing it quickly, focusing on building a
chain of new military bases along these southern islands, this time with the support of the US. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) Back on the base, the water break is over and it's time for me
to learn how to fight. One of the basic training they
do for all of their soldiers is martial arts. (unit skillfully shouting) It is a mix of karate and judo and a bunch of other Japanese martial arts that they've been doing
for a very long time, mixed with some of the stuff they learned from the US Marines. The commander just came
up and told me that it's a deep part of how they've
always trained their soldiers, and he said he's sharing some
of the soul of Japan with me, which felt very touching and cool. Have a good day. Okay, back to it. Given my extreme lack of
martial arts experience, I've been paired up with
a buddy to help me out. (members skillfully shouting) Even though we don't understand a word of each other's language, I don't know what I would do without him. (whistle tweets)
(unit skillfully shouting) He continued to watch my every move, making me refine every punch, every kick, and I was getting better. (unit skillfully shouting) I got it. I got it. (unit skillfully shouting) One, two, hook. Yeah, I'm definitely not ready for combat, but could be with a little training. There's potential here I think. Already the exhaustion
is starting to set in, which is worrying because
I have to keep preparing for a real test fight at
the end of all of this. I think the guns are coming out next. (tense music) Out here in the Pacific, if
war is going to be fought, it's gonna be fought on islands: islands, islands, islands. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) And there's one island
in particular that is just a hundred or so kilometers
from Japan's territory and that China has vowed to
make a part of their country, even if by force. This is currently thought of as the most likely place
for conflict to break out between the United States and China. If that were to happen, these islands would surely
be pulled into the conflict, especially because China already claims a group of these disputed islands. And in recent years,
Chinese military officials and scholars have implied
that China actually has an historical claim to
much of this island chain, a similar historical claim
narrative that pushed Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) So Japan is focusing on
beefing up its ability to quickly move its troops
from the ocean onto the beach. This is called amphibious warfare. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) I'm back talking with Commander Kitajima, the head of the amphibious warfare unit in the Japanese military. His job is to defend these islands, and today his troops are
showing me how they'll do that. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) I didn't know what the
commander meant by LCAC. - [Translator] Amphibious
assault vehicle, an LCAC, which means hovercraft. - [Johnny] Whoa, LCAC. Can I ask about the hovercraft?
Can you just describe that? What is that? - LCAC. Landing craft- - [Johnny] So they're
telling me that a hovercraft is vital for amphibious warfare, getting tanks, troops, and
supplies onto islands quickly. I couldn't really imagine it, but a few minutes later I didn't have to. So this thing right behind
me is called an LCAC. It's this giant hoverboard; it's actually hovering above the water. And it allows the Japanese
Army to go from the ocean onto any beach. (LCAC engine roaring)
God, that's loud. You don't really realize
how big this thing is until it gets onto the shore. (light strings music)
(LCAC engine quieting) I mean, this thing is
massive. Look at this. You see that it's full of these tanks. It's full of a bunch of
soldiers. It's got Humvees. The thing's freaking huge, and
it allows the Japanese Army to come onto an island very quickly. You saw how quickly it just
like ramped onto the sand. I mean, do you see that tank? That's a giant huge tank that
was just on that hovercraft. The US Marines train with
these Japanese soldiers sharing their wisdom on amphibious warfare to prepare the Japanese Army
to defend their islands. (Kitajima speaking Japanese) (light strings music fades out) And before we get back to my
training, I want to take you to one of these islands,
one that is crucial to Japan's new strategy. (peaceful music) (drone whirring) I took the drone up and I'm looking at this beautiful forest. Once you see it from the air,
you realize just how expansive and green this is. This forest was actually recently deemed a UNESCO World Heritage
site because it's brimming with all of this unique
plant and animal life. And yet, right here cut into this forest is a new military base,
right on top of this hill. It's actually cause for concern
among some of the locals. They let me visit the base
on top of this jungley hill, and I was immediately struck
with how new it all felt. Some of it was still being finished. (soldier speaking Japanese) I could tell there was a lot of excitement about this new base, but
it quickly became apparent why this base is so important. (intense music) Holy moly. Right now, I'm watching these trucks turn into missile launchers. This gives Japan the ability
to shoot down aircraft. They have another variation
that launches missiles to hit surface ships that come
anywhere near this island, and these missiles are now
stationed on several islands along this chain. They're giving me a demo of another one of these missile trucks. This one's a surface to ship missile. It allows them to shoot
these missiles from here and hit a ship that is
somewhere in the ocean. It's once again another big capability for defending these islands,
which is Japan's whole purpose for building up their
military on this island chain. What's the range? (soldiers chuckling) - [Solider] Confidential.
- Confidential. They wouldn't tell me the range, but my reporting showed
that these missiles have a range of around 200 kilometers, with the newer missile
upgrades potentially going up to 1200 kilometers; this is a massive new capability
for the Japanese Army. Why is this capability
so important for Japan? (Matsumoto speaking Japanese) (intense music fades out)
(unit skillfully shouting) (gentle music) Back at the base, my
training is going well. I've been sitting through
some lectures and briefings, visiting Japan's fleet of helicopters and learning about their
disaster relief missions. I also found some delicious
food in the base cafeteria. But now, it's time to begin gun training. (energetic music)
(unit skillfully shouting) (whistle tweeting)
(unit skillfully shouting) (whistle tweets)
Freaking exhausted. I think 'cause this camo is
also like incredibly thick. My friend doesn't really
care that I'm exhausted. He believes in me here, and he expects nothing but my best. (energetic music continues) The precision of his moves. I'm starting to wonder if
I'll ever make him proud. Then, finally, I do. (chuckles) Whew. Feels good. Feels good. (chuckles) Yeah. Yeah. (leader verbally dismisses)
(unit verbally salutes) Okay. Thank you so much. I'm nearly ready for my test fight, but first I need to learn
one last important skill that is unique to this place. (mysterious music) Perhaps the most important
of these islands is Okinawa. Okinawa has two things
hidden deep within its soil: the bones of the abandoned bodies that died in a devastating
World War II battle, and the bombs from that same battle, the bombs that never went off. I'm learning about how
these unexploded bombs are everywhere on this island,
and part of my training is to learn how to safely detonate them. (tense music) Today, they're teaching me how to disarm this 250 pound American bomb; and even though it's just a practice one, I'm still pretty nervous. Okay, my turn. (tense music continues) One half? Okay. After loosening this delicate fuse, I now have to slowly
unwind it with my hand without letting it touch the sides. By hand. One full. Okay. (tense music increases) (tense music fades out)
- Oh my goodness. (Johnny imitates explosion)
(soldiers laughing) - Okay, okay. Okay, let's try that again. Okay, so it's... (tense music resumes) With some practice, I'm getting steadier. (tense music continues) Should I pull it out? Okay. (tense music fades out) (soldiers applauding) Oh my god. Wow, that's
scary what you guys do. That is...
(eerie piano music) War is not theoretical
for the people here. The death toll of the Battle
of Okinawa is comparable to that of the dropping
of the atomic bombs. The horror of those 82
days still lives on here, not only in the memories of the people, but also in this bomb-filled soil. All of this new military buildup is meant to prevent a repeat of this
kind of war, to deter it. But deterring conflict by militarizing has a mixed record of
actually stopping a war and not provoking it. There is no clear answer and that tension is now
always present down here. (intense music)
(unit skillfully shouting) I'm surprised to find that my training is actually sticking. It's finally time for the last
test, a fight where I'm going to defend myself using all
of the skills I've learned. We're putting on a jockstrap now. I don't know if I signed up for. Not really sure what that entails. Like, what could this be for? I'm surrounded by four guys
who will run at me randomly, and my job is to defend myself
using what I've learned. I feel like I need to like
really step up to the plate and be a fighter. First, with just my hands
and feet, and then a weapon. Let's see how this goes. Okay, let's see. Let's see
if I've done my training. Here we go. (soldiers shouting) Okay, who's coming at
me? Who's coming at me? (whistle tweets)
(soldiers shouting) (whistle tweets)
(energetic music) (soldiers continue shouting) My training definitely has paid off, but what I didn't expect
is how exhausting this is. It's primal and full of adrenaline and every muscle in my body
is firing as I fight back, pushing back against all of
this heavy armor I have on. (soldiers continue shouting) (whistle tweets)
- All right, good work! (Johnny panting)
(soldiers cheer) - [Johnny] Here he comes
again in my moment of need. He's always got my back. Yeah, yeah. Whew. Okay. And now, with the gun. Okay, here we go. (whistle tweets) (energetic music)
(soldiers shouting) But now, I'm totally out of
gas. I have nothing left. - [Solider] Nice fight.
(soldiers yelling) - Nice fight. Nice fight. I've never been more
tired in my entire life. Here we go. (whistle tweets) (soldiers shouting)
(energetic music) (Johnny grunting)
(soldiers shouting) (energetic music intensifies) (whistle tweets)
(Johnny panting) (soldiers cheer and applaud) (calm music) - [Solider] Take a sip of water. - Yeah. Thank you. (soldiers applauding) (pants) Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Oh my god. I'm not meant for war. (panting) That was truly, I don't think I've been
so tired in my life. It's exhausting. We have this like primal
thing running through you where it's like people are attacking you, so you keep fighting and
they're like yelling. That's intense. Wow. That was great. Thanks, guys. Thank you. You guys are tough. It was time to go. (soldiers clapping) So after a group photo, I
said goodbye to these soldiers who let me train with them. Have a good one. It was time to head to
the towns and villages to talk to the locals about how they feel about all of this. I know that Japan is
transitioning to being a country that once again has its own military. It's doubling its defense budget. It's building all of these
bases on these islands, and I'm trying to understand
from a local perspective how locals are feeling about the fact that Japan is growing its army once again. - It's a very, you know, sensitive area. - [Johnny] In March, 1945, when the US was closing in on Japan, they had to go through
the island of Okinawa. The Japanese Army was losing this war, and in an effort to make
it as grueling as possible, the Japanese military armed
the civilians on this island, preparing their soldiers to
fight until the very end. This turned the people on this
island into a kind of wall, a sacrifice that would
hopefully keep the Americans from invading the mainland. American troops landed
here on April 1st, 1945. My grandfather was 18
years old at the time and was one of the first
Americans to hit the beach before the horror started. - [Announcer] It was Japan's final hour, and in incredibly furious combat, enemy soldiers had to be destroyed, cave by cave, and one by one. - A quarter of all civilians
were killed in this battle. The bloodshed was unimaginable, over 240,000 people dead in total, leading the US to conclude that dropping two atom bombs on
Japan was a better choice than continuing with this
bloody island warfare. After the war, many of the dead on Okinawa were never recovered. This is Mr. Takamatsu. He's a local Okinawan
who's dedicated himself to searching the island,
looking for bones, the bones of the people who died in the Battle of Okinawa. He tries to get their DNA
tested so he can return it to the families of the dead. Today, he's looking for bones in this cave that served as a bomb shelter. There are still burn marks
from the flamethrowers used in that battle almost 80 years ago. He says the cave was full of the bones of women and children
hiding during the fighting. (Takamatsu speaking Japanese) As he searches, he prays for peace. (Takamatsu speaking Japanese) To Okinawans, the remains
of the dead are sacred; they still have life. So even here, 80 years later,
this soil is still haunted by the horrific realities of war. (Takamatsu speaking Japanese) This trauma still remains in this soil with the bombs and the bones, the loss. (Takamatsu speaking Japanese) Back on the island of Amami Oshima, the community is split about
the arrival of the military onto their little pristine island. (Tokuhata speaking Japanese) (Yamamoto speaking Japanese) (Tahara speaking Japanese) On one hand, this base upon the hill is there to protect the people of Japan against an increasingly
aggressive neighbor. Plus, the people here told me that the soldiers are very kind, in addition to providing
much needed economic benefit to local businesses. (Kiwayama speaking Japanese) But nearly every local I
talked to had pieced together the deadly logic of military calculations, like the one Japan is making here. (Fukiko speaking Japanese) (Yotsumoto speaking Japanese) (Tahara speaking Japanese) Could this be considered
a target for an enemy, now that there's missiles here? (soldier speaking Japanese) (Minayoshi speaking Japanese) (Takamatsu speaking Japanese) (gentle music) The new base is changing the island, not only because of the threat of war, but also because the
base sits atop this hill surrounded by a UNESCO
World Heritage forest brimming with unique and
endangered plants and animals. (birds chirping) (Minayoshi speaking Japanese) I hiked through this forest
with some locals who say that since the base was built, this delicate ecosystem has been damaged, adding yet another layer of resentment towards the military presence. (Tomiyama speaking Japanese) (Minayoshi speaking Japanese) The people down here live with the memory of what their geography
has turned them into: the front line of defense
for any invading army. (Minayoshi speaking Japanese) - Trauma is there. That experience, it stays there. Memory stay there, 80 years
ago. Doesn't change at all. (Fukiko speaking Japanese) - [Johnny] These conversations came with so much internal emotional conflict. Do you feel safer because
of that deterrent? - That one is yes and no. (Tahara speaking Japanese) (mellow music) - I came to these islands
to train with the military, to immerse myself in this
unique time in Japan's history. But what I found when I got here was a much more complicated
and emotional story than I had anticipated, not just because of Japan's
complicated relationship with its military, but
specifically because how that history has
been born by the people who live on these islands. The human wall that protected the country and might have to do so again. The people who live among
the un-detonated bombs and the abandoned bones
that have little hope of ever being recognized. The people who are now caught carrying the psychological
weight of wondering if these new bases make them a target, or if without them they will
be left without protection. War and conflict make
these questions unknowable. All we can do is wait. Meanwhile, the Japanese
military will continue on its course to build a proper military to protect and defend their country, focusing on amphibious warfare, and hoping that their efforts
will be enough to make China or any other enemy
think twice about acting any more aggressively
than they already have; hoping that all of this doesn't provoke the very war it is trying to deter. (mellow music continues) (mellow music fades out)
(water gently splashing)
