Respond To North Korea'sprovocations, Japan And The US Joint Air Exercise Involve Combat Jets

JAKARTA - The United States and Japan conducted joint air exercises on Saturday involving fighter jets in airspace over the East China Sea in northwest of Kyushu Island in southern Japan, Japan's Ministry of Defense said.

The bilateral drills carried out by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the US Armed Forces were held in response to rising provocative measures by North Korea including repeated launches of its ballistic missiles.

The joint exercise is also intended to demonstrate a close level of cooperation between the two allied countries, Japan's Ministry of Defense said.

The aircraft involved in the exercise were five F-2 fighter jets from the Japan Self-Defense Air Force, and two B-1B strategic bomber jets and two F-16 fighters from the United States, according to the ministry.

Japanese and US troops conducted joint air exercises on October 4, and on the same day North Korea launched a missile flying over the northern part of Japan's main island, Honshu.