Defense & Security

Japan, U.S., S. Korea Hold Joint Missile Response Exercise Amid North’s Launches

Courtesy of the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Office
Japanese, U.S. and South Korean destroyers conduct a joint drill in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:44 JST, February 23, 2023

Japanese, U.S. and South Korean guided missile destroyers conducted a joint drill in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry announced.

The ballistic missile defense response exercise was aimed at strengthening cooperation among the participant nations amid North Korea’s continued firing of such missiles.

An intercontinental ballistic missile was launched Saturday toward the Sea of Japan. That ICBM splashed down within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the western coast of Hokkaido.

According to the ministry’s Joint Staff Office, the three ships that participated in the drill were the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Atago, the USS Barry and the South Korean Navy’s Sejong the Great. The three ships shared information and confirmed procedures for responding to a possible missile launch.