Senior defense officials from Japan and ASEAN countries agreed Tuesday to expand cooperation on the joint development of equipment to combat natural disasters and terrorism, as Tokyo seeks to revise its existing rules on arms exports.

Officials representing member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cited the development of an early warning system and an information-gathering mechanism as potential areas of technological cooperation, a Defense Ministry official said.

The meeting was held in Okinawa for the first time — a location seen as strategically important, given China's increasingly assertive sea and airspace activities.