Japan's trade ministry says Tokyo and Seoul have signed a memorandum to promote dialogue to help ensure proper operation of their export control systems.

The announcement published on Tuesday said the trade ministries of Japan and South Korea held director-level export control policy talks on Friday and signed a memorandum of cooperation.

In 2019, Japan removed South Korea from the list of preferential trade status countries, which are entitled to simplified export control procedures. Japan cited deficiencies in South Korea's trade control system.

But in June, Japan decided to restore South Korea to the list, starting on July 21.

The memorandum stipulates that the two nations will continue to hold policy talks periodically.

The document also states that if an inappropriate situation is discovered, such as export of goods without consent that could be used for military applications, both sides will hold a policy dialogue without delay to decide on what actions are needed.

Tokyo wants to boost bilateral cooperation on export controls as the two nations had not held policy talks since 2019 when Japan tightened export regulations on South Korea.