SINGAPORE - Japan and South Korea will resume a joint search-and-rescue exercise next month for the first time in about nine years, reflecting improving ties between the two nations after years of strained diplomatic and defense relations.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu Back said Saturday at the start of talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, in Singapore, that the humanitarian exercise involving the South Korean Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force will be held on June 7.
The exercise has not been conducted since 2017.
"It is important for Japan and South Korea to take a proactive role in promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including by strengthening deterrence through the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances and other strategic coordination," Koizumi said.
Defense exchanges between the two countries stalled after a December 2018 incident in which Japan accused a South Korean naval destroyer of locking its fire-control radar onto a Japanese patrol plane in Japan's exclusive economic zone. Seoul denied the allegation.
The dispute became a major source of tension in bilateral ties and led to the suspension of some defense exchanges, including the search-and-rescue drill.
The two countries agreed to resume the exercise during a meeting between Koizumi and Ahn in January in Yokosuka, near Tokyo, as part of broader efforts to improve defense cooperation.
Koizumi also held bilateral talks Saturday with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and British Defense Secretary John Healey on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum.
Koizumi and Hegseth agreed to accelerate cooperation on the joint development and production of advanced missiles, underscoring efforts by the allies to strengthen deterrence amid growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including issues related to China.
Japan and the United States will step up cooperation on projects involving the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptor.
Koizumi briefed Hegseth on Japan's efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities, including an easing of restrictions on defense equipment exports adopted in April. Hegseth welcomed the policy shift.
Asked later if Hegseth urged Japan to increase its defense spending or mention a specific spending target, Koizumi told reporters, "The U.S. side touched on defense spending, but we did not discuss specific figures or outcomes."
In a separate meeting, Healey told Koizumi that Britain would welcome an upcoming visit by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
According to people familiar with the plan, Takaichi is considering a trip to Britain ahead of the Group of Seven summit in France scheduled for June 15 to 17.
Koizumi and Healey reaffirmed close defense cooperation, including on the Global Combat Air Program, a trilateral project involving Japan, Britain and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter aircraft.
