Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono said he hopes to meet with his South Korean counterpart for talks at some point. 

Kono, who previously served as foreign minister but was made defense chief by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a recent Cabinet reshuffle, made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview with Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

Kono said that under the circumstances regarding North Korea, Japan's alliance with South Korea has become important and he hopes to move forward with proper communications with Seoul. 

During the interview, Kono repeated his criticism about South Korean Supreme Court rulings on Japan's wartime forced labor, saying that it was “very regrettable” that the rulings came at a time when he was trying to improve relations between the two countries as foreign minister. 

However, Kono has stressed the importance of being aligned with South Korea in the areas of defense and security since becoming defense minister last week. 

Last Thursday, Kono emphasized the trilateral alliance of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in the face of threats from North Korea, noting the need to value a South Korea-Japan alliance as well.