Japan wants to establish an alliance with South Korea to ensure security in East Asia against a backdrop of possible provocations from North Korea, the Japanese foreign minister, Seiji Maehara, said.

Maehara told South Korean media that the reclusive communist state's armed provocations present a "threat to stability and peace" in the entire region.

"We hope to conclude an alliance with South Korea to ensure security," he said.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains tense after Pyongyang shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in November, killing four people.

In December, Seoul held large-scale military drills involving hundreds of military personnel and more than 100 types of weapons, including tanks, anti-tank missiles, helicopters and fighter jets. North Korea then warned its opponent of a possible "holy war" using its nuclear deterrent.

TOKYO, January 3 (RIA Novosti)