Key facts
- Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. will conduct joint military drills.
- The exercises are focused on North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons threats.
- The drills, named Freedom Edge, will occur from September 9 to 11.
- The exercises will be held in international waters near Jeju Island.
- The drills are defensive in nature.
Japan, South Korea, and the United States are set to conduct joint military exercises next month, signaling continued defense cooperation among the three nations. The drills, dubbed Freedom Edge, are scheduled to take place from September 9 to 11 in international waters south and east of South Korea's Jeju Island.
The exercises will focus on readiness against North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons threats. These trilateral drills come at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has recently scaled back major joint exercises with South Korea and the U.S. subsequently canceled a joint Marine Corps drill. Trump had cited Seoul's refusal to assist in the Iran conflict and suggested that the August Ulchi Freedom Shield drills sent an inappropriate message to North Korea, as he seeks a new summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The Freedom Edge drills are described as defensive in nature.