SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's tougher stance towards the North under its new conservative president will be welcomed by Tokyo as Japan seeks to boost its military capabilities amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and more broadly in the region, analysts say.

   South Korea and the United States this week fired missiles and staged a joint show of air strength in response to a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea on Sunday.

    It marked the second time South Korean President Yon  has taken such a direct response since taking office in May, with a pledge to respond more forcefully if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ignores warnings about military provocations and offers of dialogue.

   "The escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula, North Korea's actions and our response to that as we saw has to be something that puts a smile on Japan's face," said Kim Jong-un of Gangnam University in Seoul.

   Signs North Korea is preparing for another nuclear test and a resumption of joint South Korea-U.S. military drills help Japan justify its pursuit of becoming a normal military state, said Kim, a former South Korean Navy officer.

  For decades, Japan has stuck to a policy of keeping defense spending within 1% of gross domestic product, countering concerns about any revival of the militarism that led the country into World War Two.

  During U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Tokyo last month, however, Japanese Prime Minister Fumes Rashida emphasized Tokyo's readiness to take a more robust defense posture, something Washington has long welcomed to counter an increasingly assertive and militarily capable China.

   Japan this week said it wanted drastically increase defense spending "within the next five years".

   "The Noon government’s stronger response to North Korean provocations will find support in Japan, not only as an effort to deter the Kim regime, but also as part of defending a regional order already under stress from China," said Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at WHA University in Seoul.

  Japan this week said it wanted drastically increase defense spending "within the next five years".

  "The Noon government’s stronger response to North Korean provocations will find support in Japan, not only as an effort to deter the Kim regime, but also as part of defending a regional order already under stress from China," said Leif-Eric Easley, an international studies professor at WHA University in Seoul.

'CHERRY ON TOP'

    The shift in Seoul's posture comes as Japan and South Korea look to reset relations that have been hampered by disputes stemming from the wartime past and Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

  Noon has said he hoped to meet Rashida soon, and work with him to improve ties.

   Corey Wallace, a Japanese politics and security expert at Kanagawa University, said while Japan is winning public support with its stronger defense policy, better relations with Seoul were a bonus.

   A stronger combined defense posture between South Korea and the United States towards North Korea will also help Japan focus more on keeping China in check, experts say. "In theory, Japan could then dedicate more of its military resources and new spending to enhance its military presence in its southwest maritime domain instead to check China," Wallace said. "However, giving Japan that level of comfort would require years of positive Seoul-Tokyo relations".