Fourteen F-22 Raptor fighter jets deployed in Japan

By Lee Min-hyung

F-22 Raptor fighter jet

The United States has deployed 14 F-22 Raptor stealth jets to an air base in Japan in an apparent move to increase diplomatic pressure on North Korea before the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un, Japanese media reported Thursday.

The tactical combat aircraft are among the world's most powerful fighter jets, posing a serious military threat to North Korea. The move comes about four and a half years after the U.S. deployed the fighter jets in Japan in early 2014.

According to the Sankei Shimbun, U.S. armed forces will station the 14 F-22 jets at the air base on Okinawa for a month. The newspaper said the decision reflects that Washington aims to intensify pressure on Pyongyang and grab the upper hand before the planned leadership meeting slated for June 12.

On Tuesday, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan left the naval base in Japan's eastern port city of Yokosuka for a patrol mission in the western Pacific Ocean.

In recent weeks, North Korea has reacted angrily to the joint Max Thunder air drills between Seoul and Washington, urging a stop to the exercises to maintain the ongoing peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula.