Korea, Japan defense chiefs to meet in Seoul

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan plan to hold talks next Tuesday as the two countries spur efforts to thaw frayed relations, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

The meeting will take place between Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on the sidelines of the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, which is scheduled to kick off that day at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Nakatani is expected to attend a welcome dinner for the six-day fair later in the day and return home Thursday.

They are predicted to assess North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats and other regional and bilateral issues, including Tokyo’s envisioned exercise of its right to collective self-defense in the wake of its recent upturn of the pacifist constitution.

“During the talks, the ministers will discuss the regional security situation, each country’s defense policy and bilateral exchanges and cooperation and other issues of mutual interest, while holding a briefing and consultations over Japan’s security law that passed its parliament last month,” the ministry said in a statement.

Nakatani’s three-day trip came as Seoul unstiffens its line against the Shinzo Abe administration despite its revisionist drive and move to reinforce three-way security cooperation involving the U.S.

President Park Geun-hye, who is visiting Washington this week, also signaled her willingness for a one-on-one meeting with the Japanese prime minister when they gather here next month for a trilateral summit with China.

Early this month, Tokyo’s Parliamentary Vice Defense Minister Kenji Harada came to Seoul chiefly for the Military World Games in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, and conferred on his minister’s visit with officials here.

Han and Nakatani met for the first time in about four years in May on the margins of an international security conference in Singapore.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)