Russia, Japan discuss North Korea nuclear issue

Russia’s military chief and Japan’s defense minister on Monday discussed the situation in North Korea.

During their meeting in the capital Tokyo, Japan’s Itsunori Onodera and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the issue of North Korea’s nuclear program would be settled through politics and diplomacy, according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement.

Onodera said North Korea is "the most serious" problem for Japan as Pyongyang continues developing its nuclear program.

The program poses “a serious threat to the world community," he added.

On Russia's position towards North Korea, Gerasimov said aggravating the situation would not help resolve it, according to the statement.

Moscow reiterated that the situation on the Korean peninsula can only be solved through political and diplomatic means.

Gerasimov and Onodera also discussed further developing naval cooperation. The two countries agreed to hold more than 30 joint events in 2018, according to the statement.