Japan's defense chief steps aboard visiting South Korean warship as the two nations strengthen ties

Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was welcomed aboard a South Korean warship during its larboard telephone adjacent Tokyo connected Wednesday, a first for a Japanese defense chief, arsenic nan 2 countries measurement up information ties against a backdrop of increasing hostility successful the...

TOKYO -- TOKYO (AP) — Japan' s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was welcomed aboard a South Korean warship during its larboard telephone adjacent Tokyo connected Wednesday, a first for a Japanese defense chief, arsenic nan 2 countries measurement up information ties against a backdrop of increasing hostility successful nan region.

Nakatani greeted and said pinch South Korean sailors aboard their Dokdo-class amphibious battle vessel ROKS Marado which was making a larboard telephone astatine a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force guidelines successful Yokosuka, westbound of Tokyo, connected Thursday.

“Japan-South Korea information and defense practice person go much important than ever arsenic we look an highly terrible information situation and world issues,” Nakatani told a invited ceremony. He was speaking 2 days aft North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles into nan oversea conscionable eastbound of nan Korean Peninsula soon earlier nan U.S. statesmanlike election.

Nakatani said Japan will further deepen defense ties pinch South Korea and relations pinch nan United States.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a trial formation of the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile designed to scope nan U.S. mainland.

The crewmembers of nan South Korean fleet of 3 warships were expected to return portion successful a associated training programme pinch their Japanese counterparts while successful Yokosuka.

Since early past year, nether unit from Washington and pinch hostility increasing successful nan region, nan leaders of nan 2 Asian neighbors worked to repair ties severely frayed complete grievances stemming from Japan’s atrocities during its 1910-45 business of nan Korean Peninsula. The 2 countries person since revived high-level talks and practice from successful areas including nan system and defense.

Nakatani's quality connected nan South Korean warship underscores nan betterment successful relations since past year. The leaders of Japan, South Korea and nan United States person besides agreed to bolster their trilateral information ties and formalize their yearly summit.