SEOUL - Defense Minister Koizumi met with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul on the morning of June 28, with the two ministers agreeing to continue cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as among Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The ministers welcomed the June 7 SAREX joint search and rescue exercise between the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the South Korean Navy, the first such drill in about nine years, as well as discussions between defense authorities on the field of artificial intelligence. They confirmed a policy of further developing cooperation in these areas.
The two sides also agreed to continue expanding cooperation and exchanges following a January 2026 visit by the South Korean Air Force aerobatic team Black Eagles to Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture.
However, a Defense Ministry official declined to comment on whether the ministers discussed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, or ACSA, which would allow the two countries to smoothly provide each other with fuel and other supplies.
Source: FNN
