Japan and South Korea, once bitter enemies, signed a military cooperation on the exchange of secrets on North Korea. Strategy military intelligence, which was in development for 5 years, will allow both countries to share information directly, without the use of the armed forces of the United States as a mediator.

Washington, a close ally of both countries, has long encouraged a better relationship between them. The Ministry of defense of South Korea stressed the merits of the transaction, saying that "Japanese investment in national defense is higher than in South Korea, this will allow the country to know more about your enemy." Seoul hopes that these will help him to perform the start-up of ballistic missiles of North Korea and their trajectory, as well as nuclear and submarine capabilities of the country.

North Korea has conducted more than a dozen missile tests, Pyongyang claimed to have successfully detonated a thermonuclear device in January. The tests come amid uncertainty about the future of the missile defense system THAAD, which Seoul and Washington agreed to place South Korea by the end of this year. The US President-elect, Donald trump, however, called on American allies to bear more of the cost of their own protection.

Japan is the 33rd country with which South Korea signed a military agreement. In accordance with the agreement, all confidential and sensitive information can be shared between intelligence agencies of countries. Covenant intelligence has many critics in South Korea. Japan occupied Korea for 35 years until the end of the Second world war, and anti-Japanese sentiments still remain.
sections: Politics, Accidents