Japan, New Zealand agree on intel sharing pact amid growing regional security concerns

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and New Zealand have agreed in principle on an intelligence sharing pact as their leaders shared concern about the increasingly challenging security environment in the region, including closer ties between Russia and North Korea. In a joint statement, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon expressed concern about rising tension in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly assertive in pressing its territorial claims. The leaders also condemned the increasing military ties between North Korea and Russia, including the North’s shipment to Russia of ballistic missiles used against Ukraine. Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed Wednesday an agreement pledging mutual aid if either country faces “aggression.”