Japan, U.S. Conduct Joint Exercise in the Sea of Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, March 19, 2023

Japanese and U.S. ships conducted a joint exercise in the Sea of Japan on Saturday.

The drill was held in response to Thursday’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea and was intended to demonstrate and strengthen cooperation between Tokyo and Washington.

According to the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Office, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s destroyer Atago and the U.S. destroyer Milius participated in the drill to confirm missile launch-response procedures while sharing information.