Agroup of 10 Chinese and Russian naval vessels is conducting a joint patrol along a route that increasingly suggests it might take them all the way around Japan's Home Islands. Even if none of these ships ultimately sail a full loop around the Japanese archipelago, this operation is still a significant display of the ability of these two navies to work together. This all follows a number of major maritime exercises in the Pacific involving the U.S. Navy and its allies and partners — including Japan — this year, as well as multiple instances in which Chinese and Russian naval...