Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Visits South Korea Amid Strengthening Defense Ties

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrived in South Korea on Saturday for talks with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, as the two countries seek to step up cooperation and exchanges at the defense level.

Koizumi's two-day trip to Seoul -- his first in his current capacity -- came amid a continued positive momentum in bilateral relations and reciprocates Ahn's visit to Yokosuka near Tokyo in January for bilateral talks.

Koizumi began his trip by visiting the Seoul National Cemetery and paying respects to fallen soldiers. Later in the day, Koizumi joined Ahn on a visit to an Air Force base in the eastern provincial city of Wonju, home to South Korea's Black Eagles aerobatic team.

Their visit to the unit drew attention because Japan had rejected South Korea's request for refueling support for the Black Eagles en route to an air show in Dubai in November last year. It took issue with one of the team's aircraft after it took part in a routine drill over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, over which Japan has long laid territorial claims.

Ahn and Koizumi agreed to settle the issue during their phone talks in December and the Black Eagles received refueling support at a Japanese air base in Okinawa in late January. It was the first refueling of a South Korean military aircraft by Japanese forces.

During a joint tour of the Black Eagles unit, Koizumi received a briefing on its operations, according to the defense ministry. Koizumi also boarded one of the aircraft to experience the cockpit firsthand. Ahn later presented him with a scale model of a Black Eagles jet as a commemorative gift.

The two ministers will hold bilateral talks on Sunday, less than a month after their previous bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a defense forum in Singapore. A focal point of their talks would be how the two sides will build on this momentum to further expand defense cooperation.

Last week, a Japanese news outlet reported that the ministers may discuss the possibility of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force providing regular refueling support to the Black Eagles. Observers say that Japan is seeking to create space for expanded future military cooperation with South Korea, as Seoul remains cautious amid lingering public unease over direct military ties.