SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to skip next week's Seoul Defense Dialogue amid controversy over his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, cooling a recent run of high-level defense exchanges between the two neighbors.
Japan will instead send a vice-minister-level official to the 15th Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral security forum hosted by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense from Sept. 7 to 9, as the ministry itself undergoes a leadership transition following President Lee Jae Myung's nomination of retired four-star Gen. Kang Shin-chul to replace Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.
Seoul's defense ministry said Ahn will represent Seoul regardless of the reshuffle and a change in his Japanese counterpart.
The exact reason for Koizumi's absence has not been disclosed, but it comes less than three weeks after he visited the Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II and South Korea's Liberation Day.
Koizumi later acknowledged the visit during an Aug. 25 press conference. South Korea's Foreign Ministry condemned visits and offerings by senior Japanese figures to the shrine, saying Japanese leaders should face the country's wartime past and demonstrate sincere reflection through their actions.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals convicted after World War II, and visits by senior Japanese officials have repeatedly drawn protests from South Korea and China.
Koizumi's absence stands out after a series of defense exchanges that had signaled improving security ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Koizumi met in Yokosuka, Japan, in January and agreed to promote reciprocal visits and regular defense ministerial meetings.
They met again on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30.
Koizumi then visited South Korea on June 27-28 for another round of talks with Ahn. Japan's Defense Ministry said at the time that the two sides reaffirmed bilateral defense cooperation as well as trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
Last year, then-Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attended the Seoul Defense Dialogue in Seoul, making Koizumi's absence this year a step down in the level of Japanese representation.
The Seoul Defense Dialogue, launched in 2012, brings together senior defense officials and security experts to discuss regional and global security issues.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to skip next week's Seoul Defense Dialogue due to controversy surrounding his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, sending his deputy on his behalf instead.
The 15th Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual multilateral security forum hosted by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, is set to take place in Seoul from Sept. 7 to 9.
Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II and South Korea's Liberation Day. He later acknowledged the visit during an Aug. 25 press conference.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry condemned visits and offerings by senior Japanese figures to the shrine, saying they reflected a failure to face Japan's wartime past and calling on Japanese leaders to demonstrate sincere reflection through their actions.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals convicted after World War II, and visits by senior Japanese officials have repeatedly drawn protests from South Korea and China.
The dispute comes after a series of high-level defense exchanges between Seoul and Tokyo this year.
South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Koizumi met in Yokosuka, Japan, in January and agreed to promote reciprocal visits and regular defense ministerial meetings. They met again on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30.
Koizumi then visited South Korea on June 27-28 for another round of talks with Ahn. Japan's Defense Ministry said at the time that the two sides reaffirmed cooperation between South Korea and Japan as well as trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
Last year, then-Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani traveled to Seoul for the Seoul Defense Dialogue and held talks with Ahn during the visit.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
