Japan, US, S.Korea agree to activate real-time sharing of missile data this year

The trilateral agreement came during a one-hour meeting in Singapore on Saturday attended by Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup. The defense chiefs met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

A joint statement released after the talks says the three condemned North Korea's recent claimed space launch using ballistic missile technology, as it constitutes a "serious violation" of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Pyongyang announced after the failed launch that it will conduct another launch soon.

The joint statement says the defense chiefs renewed their mutual determination to respond firmly to the North Korean threat.

The statement says the three "recognized trilateral efforts to activate a data sharing mechanism to exchange real-time missile warning data before the end of the year."

They also agreed to "make further progress toward operationalizing the trilateral mechanism initially over the next few months."

The three also committed to regularizing defensive exercises that contribute to strengthening their combined responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The statement says the US reaffirmed its "steadfast alliance commitments" to Japan and South Korea, "backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear."