Sankei claimed in a front-page article that it learned from a source connected to U.S.-Japan relations on Tuesday that the major biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise will be held in August off Hawaii. The paper alleged that although the U.S. had intended to cancel the planned exercise in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Japan strongly urged Washington to hold it in light of the Chinese military’s active moves. The paper wrote that the scale of the exercise will be reduced to two weeks from August 17 to 31 and will only involve maritime drills.