After the rogue nation launched an intermediate-range missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, the Navy dispatched an aircraft carrier to the waterways between North Korea and Japan.
The USS Ronald Reagan passed through the Tsugaru-Kaikyo Strait, which separates Japan’s two largest islands, Honshu and Hokkaido, on Tuesday.
Pyongyang’s fifth missile test in two weeks prompted the move.
While the Reagan is based in Japan and patrols the Western Pacific on a regular basis, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated on Wednesday that the carrier’s shift was intended to retaliate against North Korea, according to The Korea Herald.
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The Navy declined to say whether Reagan’s move to the region was made in response to Pyongyang’s latest launch, adding that it “does not comment on future operations.”
However, the service did confirm the ship remained in the Sea of Japan Wednesday.
