The US military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces said Thursday that fighter jets from the two countries flew together over the Sea of Japan in a show of force after North Korea fired three missiles that landed in the waters separating Japan and the Korean peninsula.
The US military said, in a press statement, that this exercise aims to "review joint capabilities to deter and respond to regional threats."
Two US officials told Reuters that Tokyo and Washington wanted to show their common resolve in the wake of Pyongyang's missile launches.
On Wednesday, North Korea raised new tension in East Asia when it fired 3 missiles into the Sea of Japan, hours after US President Joe Biden left Tokyo after meetings with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia.
According to South Korean officials, one of the missiles appears to be Pyongyang's largest ICBM, with an estimated range of 15,000 km, which is enough to reach the United States.
The Air Self-Defense Force in Tokyo said that the flight was attended by 8 aircraft that took off from bases in Japan, 4 American F-16s and 4 Japanese E-15 fighters.
The US military and South Korean forces also conducted joint live-fire exercises, including surface-to-surface missile tests, after Pyongyang's new provocation.
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