US urges trilateral cooperation over tensions...

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Top US military officer, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, has met with the Japanese Defense Minister in Tokyo.

Mullen says it is vital for trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea, in light of recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But he reiterates that any reaction should not be aimed at escalating conflict.

Mullen's visit to Japan comes following a similar trip to South Korea and during Japan's week-long defense exercises with the US. South Korea is participating as an observer in the drills.

Mullen said while meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa that ramping up cooperation was vital in restoring peace in the region, especially following recent artillery exchanges between the DPRK and S.Korea.

Mike Mullen, Chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "This is a very important time. Our alliance is so critical and so good, and so, we are able to spend some time with you to discuss the challenging issues that we face actually right now because of recent events in particular in the Korean Peninsula, it's a great opportunity."

Mullen also highlighted the importance of further joint military drills between the three countries, claiming Northeast Asia is more volatile now than it has been in much of the last 50 years.

Mike Mullen, Chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "These provocation continues seemingly at a more frequent interval, that the danger is going up and that steps must be taken to insure that they stop. The priority, certainly the preference, strong preference is this be done peacefully that we don't get into a situation that escalates and leaders and countries step forward to ensure that doesn't happen."

However, while the US and Japan have been key security allies since the end of World War II, Japan's own Self Defense Forces are constrained by Article 9 of Japan's post-war pacifist constitution.

The Constitution prohibits an act of war by the state and formally renounces war as a sovereign right and bans the settlement of international disputes through the use of force.

The article also states that, to accomplish these aims, armed forces with war potential will not be maintained, hence Japan has a de facto military called the Japan Self-Defense Forces.