Days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the United States, South Korea, and Japan conducted a cooperative naval missile defence drill to address North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats, according to the South's military, news agency Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, North Korea launched its most recent Hwasong-18 missile, which Pyongyang says as the centrepiece of its nuclear strike force, off the east coast as a "strong practical warning" to its enemies.
Aegis radar-equipped destroyers from the three nations participated in a trilateral practise on Sunday in waters between South Korea and Japan, according to the navy.
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The information-sharing system on North Korea's missiles has been improved by Washington and its Asian partners. Japan and South Korea do not communicate with one another but are individually connected to American radar systems.
According to the military, the exercise was designed to practise how the allies would react in the event of a North Korean ballistic missile launch against a fictitious target.
"We will effectively respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats with our military's strong response system and the trilateral cooperation," a South Korean Navy officer was quoted by Reuters in its report.
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The United States, South Korea, and Japan condemned the North's ICBM launch, but Pyongyang dismissed the criticism, claiming it was a legitimate exercise of its right to self-defense.
The most recent launch came after North Korea made strident allegations in recent days, accusing American spy planes of hovering over its exclusive economic zone waters, denouncing a recent visit by an American nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine to South Korea, and pledging to take measures in response.