South Korea, Japan and US to hold drills

South Korea, Japan and the U.S. will conduct annual defensive drills starting on September 15 to upgrade aerial, naval and cyber operational capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, South Korea’s military said on Friday. The “Freedom Edge” exercise is an annual drill designed to implement regional peace and stability, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, adding that the drill will be conducted in compliance with international law. The military did not provide more details on the exercise, including the number of troops or types of equipment involved. The exercise follows large-scale 10-day troop mobilisation drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries last month to assess their defence readiness against North Korean threats, which Pyongyang criticised as proof of the allies’ hostile intent against it. The announcement comes after a dramatic appearance by the leaders of North Korea, Russia and China in Beijing this week at a major