WASHINGTON — The Biden administration responded on several levels Tuesday to North Korea’s latest long-range ballistic missile launch, reaching out to allies in the region on the diplomatic and military fronts, and at the leadership level through the president. American Joe Biden.
The missile was fired on Monday evening, flying over Japan early Tuesday morning before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
This latest North Korean missile test — 23rd year to date – was different because it was the first time in five years that a North Korean missile had been fired directly over Japan. Residents of northern prefectures were woken up by sirens and instructions to take shelter.
On Tuesday morning, Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to reinforce “the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Japan” and to recognize the launch “as a danger to the Japanese people,” he said. said the White House.
A roadside screen in Sapporo in Hokkaido on October 4, 2022 shows a news report on North Korea launching a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in five years.
Kyodo via AP Images
The presidential call follows conversations Monday night between National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese and South Korean counterparts, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Pierre to reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke by phone with his counterparts in Tokyo and Seoul, according to the Pentagon.
A common thread that ran through all the official records of the phone calls was the word “battleship,” which was how each of these US officials described America’s commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea.
This declared commitment by the United States and its allies was audible and visible Tuesday in the skies above Northeast Asia.
In the airspace over the Yellow Sea off the Korean Peninsula, the United States and South Korea conducted joint aerial flights and precision targeting exercises in response to the missile launch on Tuesday. The training exercises included shooting at a target located on an uninhabited island.
A similar joint exercise was held for US Marine Corps fighters and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighters, Jean-Pierre said.
While Tuesday’s drills were held specifically in response to the latest missile launch, they also served to strengthen trilateral coordination in the face of an ever-growing threat, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“Everytime [North Koreans] make one of these launches, some are successful. Some are not. Some are only partially successful. But every time they do that, they learn. They are improving. They become more capable,” Kirby said on Fox News on Tuesday.
“This is what makes us want to remain vigilant and ensure that we ourselves have the capabilities in the region to defend our national interests and those of our allies,” he said.