Rising Thunder Exercise Underway at Yakima Training Center

Japanese soldiers are conducting their annual training called Rising Thunder at the Yakima Training Center this week.  For more than 20 years the Yakima Training Center and the Japanese military have worked together each realizing what the different culture can bring to the table.
it's a rigorous 15-day training exercise, aimed at improving skills, but also at strengthening relations between japan and the united states.  And this year members of the Illinois National Guard's 130th Infantry Regiment are also participating.
It's a large operation with close to 1,000 U.S soldiers participating this year and more than 500 Japanese soldiers.
It takes months of preparation; as soon as the 2019 program wraps up at the end of September they begin preparing for next year.