Japan ( Tokyo) The defense ministers of Japan and South Korea have reaffirmed closer bilateral relations as well as trilateral cooperation with the United States.
Japan’s Defense Minister Nakatani Gen held talks with his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back at the Defense Ministry in Seoul for about 40 minutes on Monday.
Ahn opened the talks by welcoming Nakatani to South Korea, asking him to visit the country more frequently to develop bilateral ties.
Nakatani responded by saying he is extremely honored to be the first defense minister from Japan to visit South Korea since 2015, in what he called this special year of the two countries marking 60 years of normalized diplomatic ties.
The two ministers agreed on the need for trilateral cooperation with the United States against the backdrop of North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and its deepening military cooperation with Russia.
They also agreed to promote further exchange between defense officials of the two sides, which includes reciprocal visits by the ministers.
The two also confirmed a willingness to explore the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation in advanced fields, including artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and outer space, among others.
Following the talks, Nakatani told reporters that it is important for the defense chiefs of Japan and South Korea to continue reciprocal visits and talks to build trust.
He expressed readiness to take steps to see that such discussions further pick up steam.
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