Japan to 'respect S. Korea's sovereignty' in defense matters

Japan has said it will respect South Korea's sovereignty in matters related to defense and security, in what could be an appeasing gesture aimed at easing escalating tension between the two over issues ranging from territorial and historical disputes to wartime sexual slaves, a senior foreign ministry official here said Tuesday.

Japan delivered its stance during the so-called 2+2 talks held in Seoul, which involved two senior foreign affairs and defense officials from each side. 

The session was led by Lee Sang-deok, director-general of the Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau at the foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Junichi Ihara, director-general of the foreign ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.   

The meeting was their first high-level security talks in more than five years. The last session was held in December 2009.

The talks were closely watched for an indication of how Japan would address South Korea's concerns about the revision of defense cooperation guidelines between Japan and the United States. The revision, which could come later this month, is widely expected to reflect Tokyo's decision to exercise its collective self-defense right.

The right to collective self-defense would allow Japan to send its forces to the Korean Peninsula to help the U.S. in the event of contingencies, such as a conflict with North Korea.

South Korea and the U.S. are also close allies, with more than 28,000 American troops stationed in the country to deter North Korean provocations.

"We asked the Japanese side for an explanation of the current direction of talks (with the U.S.)," the senior ministry official told reporters.

The South Korean side also stressed that the revision should be made in a way that resolves the suspicions and concerns of neighboring nations and contributes to regional peace and stability, the official said. (Yonhap)