Japan’s military kicked off the drill of anti-missile batteries at the US bases following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch Tuesday morning, a Japanese media outlet has reported.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper early Tuesday, the Japan Air Self Defense Force carried out the planned exercises at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo and at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in western Japan.

The drills on the deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 anti-missile system have begun around 6 a.m. at Iwakuni Station and around 7:30 a.m. at Yokota air base.

General Kotaro at Iwakuni Station was quoted by Mainichi Shimbun, saying, “The necessity of PAC3 training was strongly felt,” following the North’s missile provocation. 

(mjk625@heraldcorp.com)