Japan, US conduct joint drills over Sea of Japan
Four Japanese F-15 fighter planes and four US F-16 fighter planes took part in the drills.
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US soldiers are seen in front of C-130 transport plane during a military drill at Yokota US Air Force Base in Fussa (Reuters)
The Japanese Joint Staff (JJS) announced Thursday that Japan and the US conducted a joint tactical military exercise in the airspace of the Sea of Japan, with eight fighter jets participating, to demonstrate the allied forces' readiness to deflect regional threats.
"The JSDF [Japan Self-Defense Forces] and U.S. Armed Forces conducted the Bilateral Exercise as described below. This Exercise affirms the readiness of JSDF and U.S. Armed Forces and further strengthens the capacity of [Japan]-U.S. alliance," the JJS said in a statement.
Four Japanese F-15 fighter planes and four US F-16 fighter planes took part in the drills on Wednesday.
"JSDF and U.S. Armed Forces routinely cooperate closely in peacetime and maintain high levels of operational readiness to respond to any situation to defend our nation and contribute to peace and stability," the statement added.
The US Indo-Pacific Command, for its part, stated that the drills aimed to "demonstrate combined capabilities to deter and counter regional threats," as well as to demonstrate the US forces' rapid response capabilities and "credible deterrent capacity."
"The United States and Japan remain committed to jointly working to ensure peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region," the US command stated.
The drills, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo, took place in the aftermath of another round of North Korean missile tests on Wednesday, while not ruling out the possibility that the overflight was in response to Chinese and Russian military aircraft patrolling areas in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
These developments came just after Biden returned from his visits to South Korea and Japan.
