Kyodo News:

Japan and the United States pledged Thursday to enhance the Asian nation’s defense capabilities, including its new ability to strike targets in enemy territory, with North Korea’s ongoing weapons development posing a security threat to the region.

Japanese ministers and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed in Tokyo that the two countries will deepen their cooperation with South Korea and Australia, a day after a failed North Korean satellite launch apparently using sanctions-defying ballistic technology.

Austin said at a joint press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada after their meeting, “The United States will take all necessary measures” to safeguard the security of itself and its security allies, lambasting North Korea’s “continued provocations.”

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