China upset over U.S.-Japan military exercises as tensions mount in territorial dispute

U.S. Marines today began month-long military exercises in the Western Pacific today.

Now, some of these exercises will be done with Japan, long a U.S. ally. But this has China really, really mad.

In various editorials, Chinese media warned the U.S. that this action is akin to fanning the flames in the region.

What flames? Well, tensions are running high between China and Japan thanks to a territorial dispute over several uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. On Sunday, a group of ten Japanese activists landed on one of the islands with their country's flag.

Their actions sparked furious anti-Japanese protests across China. CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence is OutFront with more details tonight.