Confidence and security building between South Korea and Japan

South Korea and Japan had limited direct bilateral military ties during the Cold War though both were key allies of the United States in East Asia. Wi th the end of the Cold War, however, South Korea and Japan started to engag e in confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) as the U.S. military deployment in the region came into question. These measures were initiated as a response to uncertainties about each other's security policy in the p ost-Cold War environment. However, the sharp rise of the mutual North Korea n threat in recent years has given the two countries a more compelling reas on for the CSBMs. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether these bilatera l military-to-military contacts will have a lasting impact on bilateral sec urity relations.