Japan Ground Self Defense Force troops trained alongside Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, here, Wednesday through Saturday, during the 2014 Rising Thunder Exercise, which is scheduled to end Sept. 23.

The annual training partners Japanese military personnel with units from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and 7th Infantry Division, I Corps.

With I Corps regionally aligned to the Pacific region, the exercises have become a prime opportunity to develop interoperability between U.S. Soldiers and their Japanese counterparts.

Maj. Gen. James Boozer, the commanding general of U.S. Army Japan and I Corps (Forward), visited Yakima Training Center to observe the training, as did Japanese Lt. Gen. Koichi Isobe, the commander of Eastern Army with the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. I Corps Commanding General Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza and 7th Infantry Division Commanding General Terry Ferrell joined them to observe training, Sept. 6.

A combined live-fire exercise is planned for the coming weeks.