PM Abe Says Japan, U.S. Will Work Together To Keep People Safe

Japan joins the U.S. and announces it’s taking a tougher stance against North Korea.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he agreed with President Trump about the severity of the crisis in Pyongyang.

Following a phone call with the president, Abe said the two countries’ primary objective is to prevent North Korea from launching its missiles.

President Trump’s Japanese counterpart says both Japan and the U.S. will monitor the situation in Pyongyang, and employ a missile defense system to ensure the safety of Japanese civilians.

Japan and the U.S. held joint-live fire drills Monday, furthering cooperation between the allies.

Military drills continued Tuesday on an island in Northern Japan.

Members of the third division U.S. marines took part in a parachute drop drill.

The training was part of Exercise Northern Viper, which is said to be the largest scale bilateral training session to have ever been held between Japan and the U.S.

The drills will run for 18 days and involve 3500 troops.

Officials say the exercises are not related to recent threats out of North Korea.