SEOUL (Kyodo) Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan Jin agreed Monday to begin discussions toward signing pacts to boost cooperation between the military forces of Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Their meeting in Seoul came as the two countries are looking for specific ways to enhance defense cooperation in the wake of North Korea's fatal artillery attack on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in November.
Kitazawa told reporters afterward that they agreed to start discussing a pact calling for mutual supply provision between Self-Defense Force troops and the ROK military, as well as another pact to prevent leaks of military information.