Japan asked Estonia on Friday to strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity as the country prepares to review its defense guidelines towards the end of the year.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told his Estonian counterpart Juri Luik in their meeting in Tokyo that coordinated efforts among friendly nations to defend against cyberattacks are "extremely important," according to a Japanese defense ministry official.

Estonia has been one of the most successful countries in integrating digital technology across social infrastructure.

Earlier in the year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Estonia as part of his European tour and sought cooperation in cybersecurity in his meeting with Estonian counterpart Juri Ratas as Japan steps up preparations for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.

Luik welcomed Tokyo's plan to dispatch personnel to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

The defense ministers exchanged views on regional security, with Luik saying it was hard to understand Russia's aim in conducting a large-scale military exercise dubbed "Vostok 2018" in the Far East and Siberian regions earlier this month.

They agreed to continue urging North Korea to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding an end to its nuclear program and dismantle its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

The two ministers met in Estonia in May.