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| ▲ This May 30, 2025, file photo shows Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This image, provided by the defense ministry on Sept. 5, 2025, shows the information for the Seoul Defense Dialogue set to place from Sept. 8-10. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
S Korea-Japan-defense talks
Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Japan to meet in Seoul for 1st time in decade
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan will hold talks in Seoul next week, the South's defense ministry said, marking what would be the first official visit to South Korea by a Japanese defense minister since 2015.
The meeting between Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, comes as Nakatani is set to visit Seoul to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual security forum hosted by Seoul's defense ministry.
In phone talks held last month, Ahn and Nakatani agreed to continue with their bilateral security cooperation as well as trilateral cooperation involving the United States and meet at an early date to hold in-depth discussions.
Nakatani had initially planned to visit Seoul in December last year but the trip was canceled following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid.
Alongside Nakatani, the defense chiefs of four other countries -- Croatia, Mongolia, the Philippines and South Africa -- will join the three-day security forum set to take place from Monday through Wednesday, according to the ministry.
The event will also bring together the chair of the NATO military committee, vice defense chiefs of eight nations and security experts and professionals from 68 countries.
This year's forum will be held under the theme "Confronting Geopolitical Challenges: Building Peace through Cooperation."
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