<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Japan's defense chief and a senior US Marine Corps official have agreed to prepare themselves for the possibility that diplomatic efforts involving North Korea fail to make progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Itsunori Onodera and US Marine Corps Pacific commander Lieutenant General David Berger met at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo today.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Onodera said, it is necessary to continue applying pressure on North Korea to bring about meaningful results in the proposed summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Onodera said, a US-South Korea joint military exercise must take place as planned. Berger agreed that diplomatic pressure on the North should be maintained.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">However, he added, the US military must always be prepared for an immediate response.</div>