South Korea and Japan have agreed to strengthen defense ties by holding annual defense ministerial talks, reaffirming their commitment to closer security cooperation amid rising regional security challenges.
The agreement was reached during talks in Tokyo between South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro. Both sides stressed the importance of advancing bilateral defense exchanges in a stable and predictable manner.
As part of the initiative, the two countries will regularize mutual visits by defense chiefs and enhance communication between their defense authorities. They also agreed that closer cooperation is essential to maintaining regional peace and stability.
The ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to sustaining trilateral cooperation with the United States. Planned areas of collaboration include expanded personnel exchanges between the two militaries and continued discussions on cooperation in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, uncrewed systems and space capabilities.
Despite historical tensions and past setbacks in security coordination, Seoul and Tokyo have moved in recent years toward deeper defense collaboration, driven by evolving regional threats and the need for stronger security partnerships.
