Japan defense minister skips Seoul dialogue after Yasukuni Shrine visit
Japan will send a vice defense minister to Seoul's annual security dialogue after Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's Aug. 15 visit to a controversial shrine chilled bilateral ties.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, second from right, visits the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15, Korea's Liberation Day and the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.YONHAP
A cold wind is once again blowing over defense exchanges between Korea and Japan, after Japan decided against sending Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to next week's Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), a multilateral security forum in Seoul, for the first time in two years.
Atsushi Ando, a vice-minister-level official at Japan's Ministry of Defense, will represent Tokyo at the SDD, set to run from Monday to Wednesday, Korea's Ministry of National Defense said Friday.
Gen Nakatani, Koizumi's predecessor, attended in person last year. Before Nakatani's visit, Japan had frequently sent a vice minister to the dialogue.
Asked whether Japan's defense minister had been invited, the ministry said it had delivered an invitation to Japan's Ministry of Defense. Asked whether it would be appropriate for Koizumi to visit Korea, the ministry said only that a Japanese vice defense minister was expected to attend.
Multiple sources said Korean and Japanese officials had considered the possibility of Koizumi attending ahead of this year's dialogue.
The reason behind Koizumi's absence has not been disclosed in detail, but observers say it is likely tied to the recent chill in defense relations between the two countries.
Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine last month is widely seen as the main factor.
Koizumi visited the shrine, where dead war criminals are among the soldiers honored, on Aug. 15 — Korea's Liberation Day and the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II. It was the first visit to Yasukuni by a sitting Japanese defense minister in two years.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi inspect honor guard at the Self-Defense Forces Senior Commanders' Conference in Tokyo on Sept. 2.Kim Kyung-Hoon
At the time, Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense summoned the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and Japan's defense attaché in Seoul to lodge protests. The defense ministry called the visit “a direct affront to the efforts of both Korea and Japan to build a future-oriented relationship” and expressed serious concern.
Some experts have also said that a visit by Koizumi to Korea so soon after the Yasukuni visit could send the wrong signal to Japan.
Defense authorities in Korea and Japan had built momentum for cooperation this year through a series of ministerial exchanges. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back visited Japan in January, and the two countries held defense minister talks on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May. Koizumi then visited Korea in June for bilateral talks. Koizumi's Yasukuni visit could put the brakes on that momentum.
The SDD, now in its 15th year, is expected to draw about 1,000 participants from 67 countries and international organizations, including defense ministers from four countries and deputy defense ministers from six countries. Ahn will deliver the opening address and join a panel at the first plenary session about building a stable international order.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
