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Japan and the United States on Monday began a series of joint military drills in southwestern Japan aimed at reinforcing bilateral coordination, Kyodo News reported.
The move is themed with preparation for possible attacks on Japan as well as other emergency situations in or around the country, Kyodo said.
Following a ceremony to kick off the exercises at the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' (SDF) Hijudai training ground, six US F-16 fighter jets took off from an Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) base in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Along with F-15 fighters of the ASDF, the US Air Force jets conducted exercises in the northern and western skies of Kyushu to identify a mock enemy aircraft and get within shooting range, Kyodo said.
Air force personnel also made preparations for the takeoff of Japanese fighter jets, it said.
The joint exercises in Kyushu in southwestern Japan and the Kanto region in eastern Japan are scheduled to last until Nov. 22 and will mobilize roughly 10,000 military personnel each from the two countries, Kyodo added.
(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2002)
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