U.S. Air Force B-1B heavy bombers from Guam linked up with fighter jets from the Air Self-Defense Force on Saturday, the anniversary of North Korea's founding, for the latest training drill between the two militaries amid soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The two B-1Bs from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam trained over the East China Sea with two ASDF F-15 fighters based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
U.S. Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt. Col. Lori Hodge said the mission "was not in response to any current event" and had been planned in advance.