Japan, Italy to hold joint air drill

Japan and Italy will hold a joint fighter jet drill between Aug 2-10, a week after Japan announced a similar exercise with the French air force.

Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) said four Japanese F-15 jets and four Italian F-35A jets will join the drills scheduled around northern Japan’s Komatsu air base on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The sea divides Japan from Russia’s Far East and the Korean peninsula.

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Japan will also hold a joint air exercise with the Australian air force in Komatsu from Aug 23-Sept 15, ASDF said in a separate statement.

It would be the first joint air drill between Japan and Italy, Kyodo news agency reported.