US and Japanese fighter jets performed joint military exercises Monday.
Eight US F-16s and a dozen Japanese F-15s conducted simulated air and maritime strikes over the Sea of Japan during the fourth day of the “Keen Sword” exercises, military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported.
The training drills came as South Korea said it would test fire artillery at 29 locations this week, including Yeonpyeong island which came under attack from North Korea two weeks ago.
All countries said the training exercises were planned before North Korea’s attack, but Stars and Stripes said the drills were a clear message to the impoverished Communist nation.
South Korean officials were invited to join in the exercises.
Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan said last week the country would back action against North Korea alongside the US and South Korea to “decisively counter North Korea’s reckless and outrageous acts, ” despite its pacifist constitution.
China called for an end to the exercises and urged for diplomacy, the newspaper said.
The “Keen Sword” drills mark the 50th anniversary of the Japanese-US alliance. The massive exercise features around 44,000 military personnel, 60 warships and 400 aircraft from both sides in a drill off Japan’s southern islands, close to the coast of South Korea and in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
The exercises will finish on Dec. 10.