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Japan refuelling U.S. missile defense ships keeping watch on N Korea

Sep 15 (Japan Today) - Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is supplying fuel to U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) ships in the Sea of Japan, in a sign of deepening co-operation between the allies amid the growing threat from North Korea, a source said.

By providing fuel to the U.S. Aegis destroyers as well as its own BMD ships, Japan hopes to ensure patrols can be maintained without unnecessary gaps, said the source, who has knowledge of the operation.

The refuelling began in April, the Nikkei financial daily reported earlier.

North Korea threatened on Thursday to sink Japan with nuclear weapons for "dancing to the tune" of the United States for backing a U.N. Security Council resolution that imposed fresh sanctions on Pyongyang.

The U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet usually has around six Aegis ships assigned to BMD operations around Japan. Japan operates four ships of its own.

They are armed with interceptors designed to shoot down warheads in space before they plunge to their targets. Around half of the ships would normally be at sea at any one time.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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