Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (second left) at a meeting in Tokyo on December 26 (Photo: Kyodo/VNA)

They will examine specific scenarios including an abrupt clash between North and South Korean forces, a pre-emptive US strike on North Korea, an attack on South Korea by the North, and Japan being hit by a North Korean missile.

The move came after North Korea claimed its latest ballistic missile test in late November, confirming that it is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US.