South Korea, Japan Strengthen Defense Ties Amid Korean Peninsula Denuclearisation Push

South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearizing the Korean peninsula during a Sunday meeting of defense ministers in Seoul. South Korea’s Ahn Hyu-back and Japan’s Shinjiro Koizumi discussed regional security, including partnerships with Washington.

The statement from the South Korean Defense Ministry emphasized continued cooperation for maintaining peace and stability amid heightened security concerns.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung further strengthened bilateral relations, pledging to work together against North Korea’s nuclear threat and its strategic ties with Russia. This includes collaboration on AI and annual trilateral relations with the U.S.

Defense ministers Ahn and Koizumi agreed to promote interoperability between their air forces’ aerobatic teams—the South Korean Black Eagles and Japan’s Blue Impulse—advancing emergency response capabilities for maritime incidents.