The United States has pledged to beef up its military alliance with Japan and closely cooperate with Tokyo when it comes to dealing with North Korea.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met with Japan's vice defense minister Akinori Eto in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss issues on regional security in the Asia-Pacific, due to recent nuclear threats from Pyongyang.
The U.S. also talked about strengthening its missile defense systems to tackle possible threats from North Korea's long-range ballistic missiles.
The two officials also discussed the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan and the transfer of U.S. Navy from Japan's Okinawa military base to Guam.

Reporter : jiyeonkim@arirang.co.kr