Situation is so bad in North Korea that even Japan has sent a warship to the region

Japan’s navy has dispatched its largest destroyer to escort a US military ship off the Japanese coast amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The helicopter carrier Izumo left the Yokosuka port near Tokyo earlier today.

Japanese media said the destroyer is set to escort the US supply ship in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo later on Monday in the first such operation since it passed controversial security laws allowing Japan’s military a greater role in overseas activity. Japan’s constitution bans use of military force except in cases of self defence.

The US supply ship is expected to refuel other American warships, including the USS Carl Vinson strike group, currently in the region.

Japan’s defence ministry said the Izumo left to eventually participate in an international naval event in Singapore on May 15.

Tensions have increased as North Korea pushes to develop its missile and nuclear weapons programs in defiance of international sanctions and President Donald Trump warns of the potential threat Pyongyang’s action pose to other countries.

Mr Trump sent the USS Carl Vinson toward the region, and the US and South Korea also started installing a missile defence system that is supposed to be partially operational within days.