South Korea and Japan agreed on January 30 to resume joint naval search and rescue exercises after nine years during a meeting at Japan's Yokosuka base. The decision aims to strengthen defense cooperation between the two nations. The ministers discussed expanding collaboration in areas like artificial intelligence and space.
On January 30, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, met at Japan's Yokosuka base of the Maritime Self-Defense Force to discuss regional security and ways to deepen bilateral defense ties. They agreed to resume joint naval search and rescue exercises for humanitarian purposes, marking the first such drills in nine years since the last ones in 2017. The exercises had been stalled due to tensions, including a 2018 dispute over Japan hoisting the Rising Sun Flag during a fleet review in South Korea.
According to a joint press release from the South Korean defense ministry, "Both ministers concurred on activating personnel and unit exchange to boost mutual understanding and trust between the South Korean military and the Japanese Self-Defense Force," citing the drill resumption as an example. The ministers also agreed to explore cooperation in fields from artificial intelligence to space to advance their defense relations in a "mutually beneficial and future-oriented" manner.
They underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability amid a challenging security environment and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. As part of these efforts, they pledged regular ministerial visits, talks, and enhanced communication between defense authorities. Ahn invited Koizumi to visit South Korea to sustain the momentum.
The talks build on a summit earlier this month between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Nara, where they discussed deepening ties. Reflecting this, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force provided refueling for South Korea's Black Eagles aerobatic team in Okinawa on Wednesday en route to Saudi Arabia—the first such instance.
Ahn's visit is the first by a South Korean defense chief to Japan in about 1.5 years, since former Minister Shin Won-sik's trip in July 2024. During the visit, Ahn boarded the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in Yokosuka and met Vice Adm. Patrick Hannifin, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, emphasizing the steadfast South Korea-U.S. alliance.
This agreement is expected to bolster trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. against North Korean nuclear and missile threats, following their November talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur.
