Japan defense minister boards S. Korean warship for first time to show military cooperation

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani boarded a South Korean Navy amphibious ship while in port in Japan Thursday, the first Japanese defense minister to board a South Korean warship.

In a statement, Nakatani highlighted the boarding as a symbol of increased Japan-South Korea military cooperation as they confront security threats in the region.

"Japan-South Korea cooperation has become more important than ever," Nakatani said during a welcoming ceremony, as he cited North Korean missile tests as one of the threats the two nations face.

In a 2018 incident, a South Korean warship allegedly locked radar on a Japanese patrol plane, an action taken to ready firing of weapons. That caused a worsening of relations.

In June, Japan and South Korea agreed on actions to prevent something similar from happening again.

Nakatani boarded the South Korean vessel at Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. He interacted with the crew while aboard.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida traveled to Seoul in September for a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in an effort to continue to improve bilateral relations.

The visit was intended as a public display of Japan-South Korean defense cooperation and deepening interactions as they try to improve relations.

Yoon visited Tokyo in 2023, the first time in a dozens years South Korea and Japan held a bilateral summit.

In March 2023, the two leaders restored "normalized" a military intelligence-sharing agreement to work together in responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.