Japan, US fly fighters after China drill, N. Korean missiles

26/5/2022 19:08

        Japanese and U.S. forces have conducted a joint fighter jet flight over the Sea of Japan, Japan's military said Thursday, in an apparent response to a Russia-China joint bomber flight while U.S. President Joe Biden was in Tokyo.
        
        The Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces said, the Japan-U.S. joint flight on Wednesday involved eight warplanes based in Japan, including four U.S. F-16 fighters and four Japanese F-15s.
        
        It said in a statement, the joint flight was meant to confirm the combined capabilities of the two militaries and further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance.
        
        The flight occurred hours after North Korea fired three missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, toward the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, amid concerns about another nuclear test by the North. The missiles fell in waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.