The Japanese and South Korean defense ministers agreed September 8 to maintain close cooperation with Washington against North Korea’s nuclear threat and Pyongyang’s growing military ties with Russia, Seoul’s defense ministry said. It was the first official trip to Seoul by a Japanese defense minister since 2015 and comes amid rising geopolitical tensions in the region and after a show of force by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during a military parade attended by North Korea’s leader.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-Back and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani agreed to hold more defense talks and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said in a statement. The nations also plan to pursue cooperation in high-end military technologies such as artificial intelligence, unmanned defense systems and aerospace, it said.
Japan, South Korea and the U.S. conducted annual defense drills beginning September 15 to upgrade aerial, naval and cyber capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. The exercise followed large-scale troop mobilization drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries last month to assess their readiness.
The latest talks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing in early September to attend a military parade held by the CCP to commemorate the end of World War II. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought better ties with North Korea since taking office in June, but his overtures have been rebuffed. Last month, Lee met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo, where they agreed on forming closer security and economic ties. Ishiba resigned his position September 7.