Japanese and South Korean lawmakers agreed Monday to closely cooperate bilaterally, and also with the United States, toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the head of the Lower House said.

"We shared the view that North Korea's nuclear and missile issue is extremely urgent and that denuclearization (of North Korea) is a common strategic goal between Japan and South Korea," Lower House Speaker Tadamori Oshima told a news conference after the gathering in Seoul.

Oshima is leading a nonpartisan delegation of nine Japanese lawmakers for talks with 16 South Korean counterparts, including National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, in Seoul.