SINGAPORE, Sha'ban 28, 1437, Jun 4, 2016, SPA -- Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said on Saturday that Japan and South Korea agreed to expand an emergency communication system between their defence ministries, including adding a new direct line between defence ministers, Reuters reported. Tensions have been high in the region since early January when North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. It has followed that with a satellite launch and tests of various missiles, most recently a failed launch on Tuesday. "What it means is that we will make use of phones for emergency communication, when security-related emergencies such as a missile launch occur, and communication and coordination between the defence authorities of the two countries are needed," Nakatani told reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security forum in Singapore. He said such emergency phone lines would be expanded to include a new direct link between the two countries' defence ministers. Nakatani said talks would continue on sharing and safeguarding sensitive information on Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programmes. Under the framework, South Korea would pass relevant information to the United States, with which Seoul already has a legally-binding pact to share and safeguard intelligence called General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The United States would then pass the information on to Japan. --SPA 17:14 LOCAL TIME 14:14 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w