Japan, S Korea, US conduct drill amid tension with N Korea

A joint military drill between Japan, South Korea and the US comes as North Korea has warned of a 'security crisis' in the region [South Korea Defense Ministry via AP]

Japan, South Korea and the United States have conducted a joint missile defence exercise aimed at countering North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal.

Last week, North Korea conducted one of its most provocative weapons demonstrations in years by flight-testing for the first time an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) powered by solid fuel. It is considered a more mobile, harder-to-detect weapon and could directly target the continental US.