The Japanese and US defense chiefs have denounced China's launch of ballistic missiles earlier this month.

Japan's newly appointed Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by telephone on Tuesday morning, Japan time.

They strongly condemned China's action on August 4, which saw some missiles land within Japan's exclusive economic zone. The ministers confirmed that their countries will cooperate closely and seamlessly to respond to any situation in the region.

The two also agreed on the importance of defense cooperation among Japan, the US and South Korea to deal with North Korea.

Hamada expressed his resolve to fundamentally reinforce Japan's defense capabilities through the formulation of the National Security Strategy and other documents.

Austin welcomed the initiative. He and Hamada confirmed that they would align the strategies of the two countries.

After the phone conversation, Hamada told reporters that he will make efforts to strengthen the response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance and work for a free and open Indo-Pacific.