Tokyo CNN —America’s two most powerful allies in the Pacific are taking their defense ties to new heights amid increasing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region and North Korean threats, Japan’s top general said Thursday. Yoshida called on Japan, South Korea and the United States to “demonstrate our strong unity domestically and globally to ensure regional peace and stability.”But bilateral cooperation between Japan and South Korea is the most noteworthy result of this week’s meeting in Tokyo. Kim said he and Yoshida “share a lot of the same thoughts,” an acknowledgment of the mutual perspective on the regional threat posed by China and North Korea. Last month, Japan and South Korea joined the US in the inaugural Freedom Edge in the Pacific, a military exercise that focused on ballistic missile and air defense, anti-submarine warfare and more. “Domestic politics remain complicated in Seoul and Tokyo, but policymakers and military professionals want to lock in coordinated responses to North Korea, Russia, and China before any major political changes occur in Washington,” Easley said.

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