The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF)'s F-4 and F-22 fighter jets and the Japan-based U.S. Air Force's F-22A stealth fighters will participate in a joint exercise around Okinawa in mid-April, a senior Defense Ministry official said in Tokyo on Friday.

It will be the first joint exercise involving both fighter jets of the ASDF and F-22A jets of the U.S. Air Force, ASDF commander Toshio Tamogami said at a press conference, adding that the exercise is aimed at learning the capabilities of the state-of-the-art F-22 and testing the ASDF's latest tactics.

The U.S. forces deployed 12 F-22 fighters at its Kadena Air Base in southern Japan's Okinawa prefecture since Feb. 17. The deployment, which is expected to continue through may, was the new type of jets' first trip outside the United States.