Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back held a videoconference with his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, for the first time since taking office, where the two discussed bilateral exchange and cooperation in defense and regional security.

According to Seoul's defense ministry on Thursday, Ahn stressed the importance of the two sides' close coordination against geopolitical uncertainties and a complex security crisis that they both face.

The minister anticipated continuation of bilateral and trilateral security cooperation with the United States, marking the 60th anniversary of Seoul and Tokyo's normalizing of their ties.

Nakatani, for his part, highlighted that South Korea is Japan's partner in handling the international community's various tasks, and an important neighbor for cooperation, agreeing to continue security cooperation with each other and also with the U.S.

The ministers also agreed to meet in person in the near future for an in-depth discussion over bilateral exchange and cooperation.