TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s first three F-35B stealth fighter jets arrived Thursday at an air base in the south of the country, its latest move to fortify defenses as tensions in the region grow.

The Japanese Air Self Defense Force on Thursday deployed its first three F-35B stealth fighters in southwestern Japan.

The British fighter jet was engaged in joint military drills alongside Japan's Maritime Self‑Defence Force and the United States, an exercise that began on August 4 and is set to run through on August 12.