Concern is growing within the Defense Ministry that Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjirō's (小泉進次郎) visit to Yasukuni Shrine could affect Japan-South Korea defense cooperation. Some officials have voiced concern about the South Korean reaction.
Against the backdrop of Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjirō's (小泉進次郎) handshake with his South Korean counterpart at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on June 28, concerns have emerged about the impact on Japan-South Korea defense cooperation of a visit to Yasukuni Shrine. Japan-South Korea relations had cooled over the issue of lawsuits brought by former wartime requisitioned workers and the incident in which a fire-control radar was directed at a Self-Defense Forces aircraft, but momentum had begun to build toward resuming exchanges.
The article reviews factors behind the deterioration in Japan-South Korea relations, including the 2018 Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to pay compensation and the incident that same year involving a South Korean Navy vessel directing radar at a Japanese aircraft. It also outlines the process of resuming exchanges between the two countries' defense authorities and the progress made on cooperation aimed at preventing a recurrence.
It also notes that Koizumi Shinjirō (小泉進次郎) has continued to meet with An (安) since taking office and that, in June this year, the two sides agreed to pursue discussions on defense equipment cooperation in light of Japan's easing of its rules on defense equipment exports. Depending on the South Korean reaction, the visit could affect efforts to normalize Japan-South Korea relations, including in the defense field.