TOKYO/SEOUL: Japan and the United States held joint air drills on Sunday, a day after the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea, Japan’s Defense Ministry said.
Local media reports quoted South Korean military as saying that the U.S. forces also staged separate joint air exercises with South Korea the same day.
Also read: North Korea threatens unprecedented action over allied military drills
North Korea said earlier Sunday it had conducted the previous day a “surprise” drill of the Hwasong-15 ICBM on a lofted trajectory, according to state-run media.Washington and its allies Tokyo and Seoul conducted their respective joint drills in a show of the unity in defending against North Korean provocations.
Three F-15 fighter jets from Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force took part in the drills along with four U.S. F-16 fighter jets and two B-1B strategic bombers, according to the ministry’s Joint Staff.
South Korean military said a U.S. B-1B bomber and South Korean F-35A stealth fighters flew in formation during their drills.
The South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the drills demonstrated the overwhelming defensive capabilities of the Washington-Seoul alliance, and that they had improved operational capabilities.The drills come amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s advancing missile technology and fears it may soon stage another nuclear test, as well as upcoming exercises by the United States and South Korea.
The North has denounced plans by the two countries to conduct tabletop exercises next Wednesday against nuclear threats and the 11-day Freedom Shield field training exercises set for mid-March.
The official Korean Central News Agency said the missile launched Saturday flew nearly 1,000 kilometers for over an hour before reaching open waters in the Sea of Japan.
According to the Japanese government, the missile likely fell into its exclusive economic zone off Hokkaido.
Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Saturday that on a normal trajectory, it could potentially travel over 14,000 km and strike anywhere on the U.S. mainland.
Pyongyang staged the ICBM launch to demonstrate “the sure reliability of our powerful physical nuclear deterrent,” KCNA said.
The latest launch from North Korea comes after 2022 saw the country fire a record 37 missiles. Amid concerns Pyongyang may be preparing to hold its seventh nuclear test, Tokyo, Washington and Seoul are ramping up their surveillance of the country.
