Korea and Japan Defense Ministers Agree on Steadily Advancing Defense Exchange and Cooperation

Video Call Held on the Afternoon of September 15

The Ministry of National Defense announced that Defense Minister An Gyu-baek held a video call with Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's Minister of Defense, on the afternoon of September 15.

Defense Minister An Kyu-baek is having a video call with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two ministers shared the view that cooperation between Korea and Japan, as well as among Korea, the United States, and Japan, is important for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. They also agreed on the necessity of steadily advancing reciprocal and future-oriented Korea-Japan defense exchange and cooperation based on mutual understanding and trust.

The video call between the two ministers appears to be related to the nomination of Minister An's successor. The two ministers had previously met on several occasions this year, including during Minister An's visit to Japan in January, a bilateral defense ministers' meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore at the end of May, and Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to Korea in June.

However, relations between the two countries' defense authorities cooled last month, following Minister Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on August 15. At the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) held in Seoul from September 7 to 9, Minister Koizumi did not attend; instead, Vice Minister-level official Atsushi Ando participated on behalf of the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.