TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The top uniformed defense officers of Japan, the United States and South Korea have reaffirmed the importance of enhanced cooperation to address the North Korean nuclear and missile threats as well as regional security challenges, the Japanese Defense Ministry's Joint Staff said Thursday.

Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of the Joint Staff, and his U.S. and South Korean counterparts, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Jin Yong Sung, also underscored their commitment to working toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea, according to a joint statement released after Wednesday's meeting in Washington.

The defense chiefs pledged to deepen cooperation across multiple domains and maintain momentum, including through the annual Freedom Edge exercise.

Japan will host next year's trilateral meeting of the defense chiefs, the statement said.