South Korea, Japan defense ministers pledge to work with US to deter North Korea

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Republic of Korea SEAL checks their sector of fire during Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. (Royal Canadian Armed Forces photo by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - DVIDS)

SEOUL  -  The South Korean and Japanese defence ministers agreed on Monday to maintain close cooperation with Washington against North Korea's nuclear threat and Pyongyang's growing military ties with Russia, Seoul's defence ministry said.  

It was the first official trip to Seoul by a Japanese defence minister since 2015 and comes amid rising geopolitical tensions in the region and after a show of force by China during a military parade last week attended by North Korea's leader.  

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-Back and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani agreed to hold more defence talks and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said in a statement.

The two nations would also pursue cooperations in high-end military technologies such as artificial intelligence, unmanned defence systems and aerospace, it said. 

During his two-day trip, Nakatani is due to visit the Seoul National Cemetery and the Korean Navy 2nd Fleet. 

South Korea, Japan and the U.S. will conduct annual defensive drills starting on September 15 to upgrade aerial, naval and cyber operational capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's military said.

The exercise follows large-scale troop mobilisation drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries last month to assess their defence readiness against North Korean threats, which Pyongyang criticised as proof of the allies' hostile intent against it.

The latest talks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Beijing last week to attend a military parade held by China to commemorate the end of World War Two.  

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought better ties with North Korea since taking office in June, but his overtures  so far have been rebuffed. 

Last month, Lee met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo where they agreed on forming closer security and economic ties.

Ishiba resigned on Sunday, ushering in a potentially lengthy period of policy uncertainty for the world's fourth-largest economy.  

 (Reporting by Heejin Kim; Editing by Ed Davies // REUTERS)