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Meetings between defense ministers from Japan and Korea that were put on hold in Jan. 2005 in the midst of friction between the two countries may resume in the first half of next year. In contrast to military exchanges between high-ranking military officials from China and Korea over the last two years, interaction between Korea and Japan has been at an almost complete standstill.
¡°Representatives from both sides met in Tokyo on Dec. 1 for the 14th round of working-level policy talks between the two defense ministries, and decided to push ahead with plans for a meeting between Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo and Japanese Defense Minister Kyuma Fumio,¡± the Defense Ministry said Monday. The last round of talks between the two nations¡¯ defense ministers was in January 2005, but the talks broke down following Japan¡¯s insistence on its rights to Korea¡¯s Dokdo islets.
But to develop a ¡°future-oriented¡± relationship between the two countries that was discussed in a summit with Korea after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took over on Oct. 9, mutual visits of high-ranking officials on both sides and a plan for military cooperation was also discussed at the working talks.
The Korean side explained overhauls in its defense and the push to reclaim independent wartime military control from the U.S. Japanese officials outlined the state of the Japan-U.S. relationship, including reforms in U.S. troops stationed there, and the status increase of its Defense Agency to a ministry, as well as ballistic missile defense systems, participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, and efforts to pick up the pace in Japan-China defense exchanges.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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