Yokosuka: South Korea and Japan have agreed to resume joint naval search and rescue exercises, Seoul's defense ministry announced Friday. This marks the first such drills in nine years, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve bilateral ties between the two nations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the agreement was reached during a meeting between South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, at the Yokosuka base of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. The discussions focused on regional security cooperation and ways to enhance defense collaboration and exchange.

The defense ministry issued a joint press release stating that both ministers agreed to activate personnel and unit exchanges to boost mutual understanding and trust between the South Korean military and the Japanese Self-Defense Force. The resumption of joint drills for humanitarian purposes was cited as an example of these efforts.

The last maritime exercises between South Korea and Japan occurred in 2017. The drills were stalled due to incidents that strained their relationship, such as disagreements over Japan's intention to hoist the Rising Sun Flag, a controversial symbol of its past imperialism, during a 2018 fleet review in South Korea.

During the talks, Ahn and Koizumi also explored potential cooperation in areas like artificial intelligence and space, aiming to advance their defense relations in a mutually beneficial, future-oriented manner. They emphasized the significance of bilateral cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

To support these objectives, both ministers agreed to hold regular ministerial visits and talks, and to strengthen communication between defense authorities. Ahn and Koizumi had previously held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, where they emphasized the importance of trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. in response to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Ahn's visit to Japan marks the first by a Seoul defense chief in approximately 1 1/2 years, following former Defense Minister Shin Won-sik's visit to Tokyo for ministerial talks in July 2024.