Japan says military deal with SKorea to be signed

TOKYO (AA) - Japan's foreign ministry said Monday that an agreement had been reached with South Korea to sign a pact aimed at sharing military intelligence.

A 2012 attempt to conclude the proposed General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) ended in failure due to widespread opposition in the South, where there is a popular perception that Tokyo has refused to properly atone for abuses committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

With North Korea's nuclear and missile tests escalating this year, momentum has shifted back in favor of a deal that would bring greater cohesion to the deterrence presented by South Korea, Japan and their common ally the United States.

Kyodo news agency cited Japanese government sources as saying Monday that the two governments -- which resumed the talks Nov. 1 -- aim to sign the agreement “as soon as this month” once domestic procedures are finalized.

South Korea's main opposition parties had earlier threatened to dismiss the country's defense minister if the deal is inked.