Japan, South Korea Defense Chiefs Agree on Mutual Visits

Jiji Press

16:58 JST, January 31, 2026

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa (Jiji Press) — Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, agreed to conduct mutual visits every year, at a meeting on Friday at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The two ministers also agreed to promote exchanges between the Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean military and to cooperate on cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

“Next time, I will visit South Korea to enhance communication between the two countries’ defense authorities,” Koizumi told reporters after the meeting.

Koizumi and Ahn agreed to resume joint search-and-rescue drills between the MSDF and the South Korean navy, which have been suspended since a 2018 incident in which a South Korean military vessel directed its radar at an MSDF plane.

They also vowed to promote three-way cooperation, including the United states, in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and building permanent peace.

The joint statement also called for discussions between defense authorities to seek cooperation in areas such as AI, unmanned systems and space.

The Koizumi-Ahn meeting was the first defense ministers’ meeting held in Yokosuka, Koizumi’s home turf.