Seoul, Tokyo tighten defense ties with Japanese minister's visit amid Beijing-Moscow show of force

Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, reaffirmed their nations' “bilateral commitment to closer defense cooperation to maintain peace and stability in the region"  on Sunday during a visit by Tokyo's defense chief.

Koizumi's trip marks the first visit to Seoul by a Japanese defense minister in 11 years.

The bilateral reaffirmation came just a day after China and Russia staged a joint air drill involving strategic bombers near the Korean Peninsula. The timing cast the meeting as a display of closer military coordination between Seoul and Tokyo that intends to counter growing military ties between Beijing and Moscow.

“[The two ministers] agreed to continue cooperating to maintain regional peace and stability in the face of a challenging security environment,” the joint statement read.

The statement followed bilateral talks between Ahn and Koizumi on Sunday morning at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

Ahn and Koizumi also reaffirmed their commitment to "the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace.” The two ministers also vowed to maintain bilateral security cooperation and a trilateral security posture with the United States.

The ministers also agreed to develop exchanges between Korea's Black Eagles and Japan's Blue Impulse aerobatic teams and build on their joint search-and-rescue exercise for maritime scenarios, or Sarex, which resumed earlier this month for the first time in nine years, according to Seoul's ministry.

The pair also agreed to expand discussion on AI as well as advanced science and technology cooperation.

Koizumi's visit is widely seen as a reciprocal visit following Ahn's trip to Yokosuka in January. On May 30, the two ministers also met during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

The two countries plan to hold regular reciprocal ministerial-level visits and meetings, according to the Korean Defense Ministry. Such moves appear to build on the closer relationship fostered by Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi through "shuttle diplomacy."  

On Saturday, the first day of Koizumi's visit, a joint Chinese-Russian military exercise involving more than 10 aircraft was carried out over the East Sea and the South Sea.

The six-hour exercise involved Chinese H-6K strategic bombers, Russian Tu-95MS bombers, fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft from both countries, according to Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency.

While Russia described the mission as a joint strategic aerial patrol, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense labeled it as a move to show “determination and capability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”

During the air drill, Chinese and Russian aircraft sequentially entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (Kadiz) over the East Sea and the South Sea.

The Korean Air Force scrambled fighter jets and took tactical measures. Japan also sortied fighter jets from its Japan Air Self-Defense Force for its response, Japanese media reported.

Military experts say China's H-6K bomber can carry CJ-10K cruise missiles with a range of about 1,500 kilometers and may also be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The bomber is considered a core part of China's antiaccess and area-denial strategy, which is aimed at neutralizing U.S. aircraft carriers and allied bases at risk.

On Saturday, Koizumi paid tribute at Seoul National Cemetery before traveling with Ahn to the Black Eagles' air base in Wonju, Gangwon.

In January, the Black Eagles became the first Korean military aviation team refuel at a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base in Naha while en route to an air show in Saudi Arabia. The stop sparked speculation among military observers that it could signal a future Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between Seoul and Tokyo.

Koizumi's stop at the Black Eagles base was widely viewed as another signal of Japan's interest in an ACSA.

Seoul, however, has maintained that it is not considering such a pact for now because of domestic public opinion. Officials said the issue was not on the formal agenda during Sunday's defense ministers' meeting.

The two ministers visited the Defense Media Agency in Yongsan District on Sunday morning, where Ahn presented Koizumi with a framed front page from a newspaper featuring an image of his father, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, meeting with then-President Kim Dae-jung during his March 2002 visit to Korea ahead of the two countries’ co-hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The gift appeared intended to highlight the elder Koizumi's role in strengthening ties between the two neighbors.

The ministers also held a "table tennis rematch" later Sunday. During Ahn's visit to Japan in January, the two played a friendly match that ended in a draw, according to the Korean ministry.

They were also scheduled to hold a closed-door youth security dialogue with about 50 participants from Korea and Japan at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul.

BY LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]