South Korea,Japan say strong ties vital to regional stability

South Korea and Japan have reaffirmed that their strong ties are vital to the stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia and the international community, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The two neighbors reached the consensus during strategic dialogue between their vice foreign ministers in Tokyo on Thursday, the ministry was quoted by South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) as saying. They also discussed their bilateral relations, North Korea''s nuclear weapons programs and other issues, the ministry said, without elaborating. South Korea plans to host another round of strategic dialogue later this year, a framework for consultations launched in 2005 to deal with regional and global issues.