Japan - US - South Korea join forces for military exercises amid tensions with North Korea

On December 10, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced that it, along with the United States and South Korea, will hold a two-day missile tracking exercise.

American and South Korean soldiers.

The move comes amid rising tensions in the region over North Korea's weapons development program.

The exercise, scheduled for December 11-12, will be the sixth exercise on information sharing in ballistic missile tracking among the three countries, the source said.

However, the source did not say whether the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system would participate in the exercise.

Last week, the US and South Korea conducted large-scale military exercises that North Korea said made the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula a "verified fact".

The large-scale exercise follows Pyongyang's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on November 29. The Pentagon has repeatedly shown off its military might after North Korea's tests.

On the same day, a senior official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry said the country will add 20 North Korean organizations and 12 individuals to its sanctions list, part of ongoing efforts to cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

The official stressed that the new sanctions are expected to cut off illicit financial flows to North Korea and increase the risk of doing business with these organizations and individuals.

The new sanctions, expected to take effect from December 11, come as the international community puts greater pressure on North Korea.

According to Sputnik