South Korea, Japan reaffirm closer defence ties

SEOUL: South Korea and Japan on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and agreed to revive joint search-and-rescue drills in a step forward for security ties between the neighbouring countries. Meeting in Seoul, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to work on regional stability bilaterally, as ⁠well as through their partnerships with Washington, in the sixth round of talks between the ⁠two countries.
'Both ministers shared the view to continue cooperation for maintaining regional peace and stability amid a grave security environment,' South Korea's defence ministry said in a statement. South Korea and Japan have been working ‌to develop closer ties since 2022 and overcome ​sometimes bitter historical differences, a ⁠policy continued by President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Takaichi and Lee agreed in January 2026 to deepen ​shuttle diplomacy and in May expanded cooperation on energy. On Sunday, Ahn and Koizumi also agreed ​to continue ⁠fostering exchange between their air forces' respective aerobatic teams — South Korea’s Black Eagles and Japan’s Blue Impulse — to further advance search-and-rescue exercises designed for various maritime accident scenarios. — Reuters