Japan's Defense Minister Visits South Korea for Defense Talks

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrived in South Korea on Saturday for talks with his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, as the two countries seek to deepen defense-level cooperation and exchanges, Yonhap News Agency reported. The two-day trip to Seoul is Koizumi's first in his current capacity and reciprocates Ahn's visit to Yokosuka near Tokyo in January for bilateral talks.

Koizumi began his visit by paying respects at the Seoul National Cemetery. Later in the day, he joined Ahn at an Air Force base in Wonju, about 90 kilometers southeast of Seoul, which is home to South Korea's Black Eagles aerobatic team.

The visit to the Black Eagles unit drew attention given a previous disagreement over refueling support. Japan had rejected South Korea's request for refueling for the Black Eagles en route to an air show in Dubai in November last year, citing one of the team's aircraft that had taken part in a routine drill over the Dokdo islets, over which Japan has long claimed sovereignty.

Ahn and Koizumi agreed to settle the issue during phone talks in December, and in late January, the Black Eagles received refueling support at a Japanese air base in Okinawa — the first time Japanese forces refueled a South Korean military aircraft, according to Yonhap.

During the joint tour of the unit, Koizumi received a briefing on the Black Eagles' operations, boarded one of the aircraft to experience the cockpit firsthand, and was presented with a scale model of a Black Eagles jet as a commemorative gift by Ahn, Yonhap reported.

The ministers are scheduled to hold bilateral talks on Sunday, less than a month after meeting on the sidelines of a defense forum in Singapore. A focal point of the talks is expected to be how the two sides can build on the current momentum to further expand defense cooperation.

Key Claims

  • Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrived in South Korea on Saturday for talks with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.
  • Koizumi's two-day trip to Seoul is his first in his current capacity and reciprocates Ahn's visit to Yokosuka in January.
  • Koizumi visited the Seoul National Cemetery and paid respects to fallen soldiers.
  • Koizumi and Ahn visited an Air Force base in Wonju, home to the Black Eagles aerobatic team.
  • Japan had rejected a South Korean request for refueling support for the Black Eagles in November last year.
  • Ahn and Koizumi agreed to settle the issue during phone talks in December, and the Black Eagles received refueling support at a Japanese air base in Okinawa in late January.
  • Koizumi received a briefing on the Black Eagles unit's operations during a joint tour.
  • Koizumi boarded one of the aircraft to experience the cockpit firsthand.
  • Ahn presented Koizumi with a scale model of a Black Eagles jet as a commemorative gift.