Japan, US & S Korea to conduct joint navy drills amid tension over N Korea's missile tests

Amid tensions over North Korea's missile launches, the naval forces of Japan, the United States, and South Korea have decided to conduct joint military drills on Friday. The said development was confirmed by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) on Thursday. According to the MSDF, the exercises, including anti-submarine drills, will be held in the Sea of Japan, which South Korea calls the East Sea.

Notably, the announcement comes on the day when US Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea. On Thursday, Harris met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and condemned North Korea's "provocative" nuclear rhetoric and ballistic missile launches. Both the leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, and the US VP called North Korea's ballistic missile launches as "provocations" that are meant to "destabilize the peace and security of the region."

North Korea's activity poses a threat to peace in Indo-Pacific: Harris

"The Vice President and the President reaffirmed our alignment on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and our goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," read the statement issued by the White House.

It is pertinent to mention here that during the meeting, Harris and Yoon Suk-Yeol also talked about the response of the US and South Korea to "potential future provocations," which will include trilateral cooperation with Japan. Harris also stressed that North Korea's activity poses a threat to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and the entire international community. Harris underscored that the US is committed to defending South Korea and bolstering the "combined defence posture."

North Korea likely to conduct nuclear test after Oct 16

Meanwhile, it has come to the fore that North Korea is likely to conduct a nuclear test after October 16 at its Punggye-ri site sometime after October 16, 2022, said South Korea's spy agency. According to a report published on the Yonhap News Agency, this was confirmed by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers of the parliamentary intelligence committee.

(Image: AP/Representative)