Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the South Korean Marine Corps will conduct their first joint exercise early next month, with the goal of deepening security cooperation apparently against North Korea and other nations.



The GSDF says the exercise will be part of multilateral drills for disasters and other emergencies to begin in the Philippines later this month.



The drills have been held seven times in the past, but Japan and South Korea had taken part in them separately.



The exercise will include South Korean Marines boarding GSDF boats for search and rescue training in the event of a tsunami.



The two nations' defense ministers signed a memorandum last July to systemize security cooperation such as intelligence sharing and joint exercises.



The GSDF says that by strengthening the partnership with South Korea, they hope to contribute to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.