Itsunori Onodera

South Korea said its air force conducted an exercise with two U.S. nuclear-capable bombers above the Korean peninsula on Aug. 31, two days after a North Korean missile fired over Japan sharply raised tensions.

Britain and Japan will pledge closer cooperation on Thursday on defense, cyber security and counter-terrorism as Prime Minster Theresa May looks to strengthen relations with one of her closest allies ahead of Brexit, reported Reuters.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said stronger pressure would be needed on North Korea after its latest missile launch, which flew over Japanese territory early on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

After a day of high-level meetings, U.S. and Japanese officials said they had agreed to boost defenses against North Korea's growing military threat, according to Los Angelis Times

Japan will "augment its defense capabilities" while Washington "remains committed to deploying its most advanced capabilities to Japan," the State Department said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reshuffled his Cabinet on Aug. 3, opting for seasoned party veterans to help restore his battered popularity.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who retained his post, announced the new lineup.

Japan will end its participation in the search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet which disappeared on 7 March while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

So far, Tokyo has provided four military planes for the operation, two C-130 transport planes and two P-3C surveillance planes.