Following North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile that sailed over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in five years, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden decided on Tuesday to strengthen the deterrent and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Kishida stated over the phone that he and Biden strongly denounced the North Korean launch, the country’s longest-running missile test, and emphasised that it posed a major threat to world peace and stability.
According to Kishida, South Korea, Japan, and the United States would work more closely together in the UN Security Council to achieve North Korea’s complete nuclear disarmament.
Yasukazu Hamada, the Japanese defence minister, assured his American counterpart Lloyd Austin via separate phone calls that Japan would greatly strengthen its defence while remaining open to all possibilities, including a so-called counterattack capability.
According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, Austin reaffirmed Washington’s steadfast commitment to using US nuclear and other military assets to defend Tokyo with extended deterrence.
Biden and Kishida promise to increase Japan-US deterrence against North Korean missile launches.
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