South Korea and Japan should reconsider deploying US anti-missile batteries on their soil in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test, former US Defense Secretary William Cohen said at a US-China defense forum.

"I would hope also that we would consider and have the South Koreans and the Japanese consider having THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] on their territory," Cohen stated on Monday.

Cohen acknowledged that China has and would raise concerns over the anti-missile deployment, but stated, "nonetheless, this is something that is important to us and to our allies."

The United States has raised the possibility of a THAAD battery deployment in East Asia in the past, a decision the Pentagon says will be made through the trilateral Japan- South Korea-US security alliance.

The anti-missile system is one optional response to North Korea's recent nuclear test. China has opposed the THAAD deployment in the past arguing it could upset the regional balance and be used against Chinese interests.

Source: Sputnik News