South Korea's Defence chief departs for talks with Japanese counterpart in Yokosuka

Seoul, Jan 29 (IANS) South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back departed on Thursday for Japan to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, to discuss regional security issues and defence cooperation, the defence ministry said.

Ahn departed via Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, for the Japanese port city of Yokosuka, where the US 7th Fleet is based, to attend the bilateral defence ministerial talks set for Friday.

"(The defence chiefs) are expected to discuss the security situation in the region and bilateral defence cooperation," ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said in a regular press briefing, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Chung said the two countries plan to continue strengthening defence cooperation, including exchanges or information sharing for humanitarian purposes, referring to the refueling of the South Korean Air Force's aerobatic flight team at Japan's Naha air base the previous day.

On Wednesday, the Black Eagles team made a layover in Okinawa after departing from a base in Wonju, some 140 kilometres east of Seoul, to refuel and hold an exchange event with Japan's aerobatic flight team.

It marked the first time Japan's air self-defence forces provided refueling for South Korean Air Force aircraft.

Chung, however, indirectly ruled out the possibility of forging a mutual logistics support agreement with Japan during the minister's latest trip to Japan, saying that logistics or military cooperation is not being considered in the ministerial talks. Japan is reportedly in favor of forging such a pact with Seoul.

During the meeting, Koizumi is expected to strengthen personal ties with Ahn Gyu Back, showcasing the need for bilateral cooperation to tackle threats posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programme and other challenges. South Korea's Defence Ministry stated that the meeting will be held at the Yokosuka base of the Maritime Self-Defence Force, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

On Tuesday, the Japanese government lodged a strong protest after North Korea launched two ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan. Japan's Defence Ministry stated that one of the missiles rose to an altitude of around 80 kilometres and flew about 350 kilometres.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the military spotted the missiles launched from a region in northern Pyongyang at around 3:50 pm (local time) on Tuesday. According to a Japanese government official, the missiles seem to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Kyodo News reported.

Japan condemned North Korea for its ballistic missile launch. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi directed relevant government officials to collect information and ensure that vessels and aircraft are safe. So far, no damage has been reported from the missile launch.

--IANS