US, Japan and South Korea vow to step up joint air drills over Korean Peninsula
Three ministers pledge to take steps to bolster their ability to improve information sharing and strengthen responses to North Korean threats
The US, Japanese and South Korean governments pledged to conduct more joint air drills over the Korean Peninsula to improve their ability to launch coordinated responses to military threats by Pyongyang.
US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera and South Korean Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo pledged “enhanced defence cooperation” in a meeting held during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defence ministers conference in the Philippines.
“The three ministers lauded collective efforts to expand information sharing on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and enhance response capabilities, including the execution of multiple combined flight training missions with US bomber aircraft,” according to the joint announcement.
“They reaffirmed that the three nations are committed to enhancing defence cooperation and to maintaining a rules-based order. Accordingly, the ministers pledged to take necessary steps to bolster their ability to improve information sharing and strengthen responses to North Korean threats.”