Japan and the United States conducted a joint exercise involving fighter jets over the Sea of Japan, the Defense Ministry said Thursday, a day after North Korea test-fired three ballistic missiles.
The flight of four F-15s from the Air Self-Defense Force's Chitose base in Hokkaido and four F-16s from the U.S. Air Force base in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, on Wednesday was meant to confirm the two forces' "readiness posture," the ministry said.
The U.S. military said in a news release the drill was intended to "showcase combined capabilities to deter and counter regional threats."