The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that air forces from Japan and the United States conducted joint military exercises over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, following North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles. The ministry stated in a statement that "the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Army held a joint military exercise, as the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming more dangerous with North Korea's ballistic missile launches, which may potentially be intercontinental ballistic missiles fired at a high angle."
Earlier that day, the Japanese Coast Guard announced that North Korea had launched a ballistic missile into the sea off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula.
