The top military officers of South Korea, the US and Japan have reaffirmed their close cooperation in dealing firmly with North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, according to a joint statement issued Monday.

Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo and Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano -- in Hawaii on Sunday (local time).

A press release said, "(The military heads) called upon North Korea to 'refrain from irresponsible provocations that seriously undermine the peace and security of the region, as well as the international community, and to walk away from its destructive and reckless path of WMD development.'"

The three parties also discussed various trilateral cooperation measures, such as information exchange and a readiness posture to counter threats, it added.

Dunford reaffirmed the "ironclad commitment" of his country to defend its key regional allies and provide "extended deterrence guaranteed by the full spectrum of US military capabilities, including conventional, nuclear, and missile defense," it said.

The session, held at the Pacific Command's headquarters, marked the fifth such meeting between the most senior military officers of the regional powers since July 2014.

It was also joined by PACOM Commander Harry B. Harris, US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent K. Brooks and US Forces Japan Commander Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez.

The meeting followed a Military Committee Meeting between Jeong and Dunford in Seoul last week. (Yonhap)