Japanese Foreign Minister Visits South Korea to Strengthen Security Cooperation

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya traveled to South Korea on Monday, aiming to enhance security cooperation between the two neighbors and their mutual ally, the United States, in response to China’s growing regional influence.

The Japanese government noted that this marks the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to South Korea in seven years for a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart.

In a press statement, the government highlighted Iwaya’s objective to “reaffirm” the importance of bilateral relations and the need to continue coordinating policies, including those related to North Korea, “in light of the current strategic environment.”

Strengthening trilateral security cooperation may prove challenging amid political turmoil in South Korea, where President Yoon Suk-yeol faces impeachment proceedings.

Additionally, the transition to a second Trump administration in the United States on January 20 could impact the leadership dynamics of the trilateral security agreement established in 2023, as neither President Joe Biden, Yoon, nor former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will remain in office.

Chinese Military Delegation to Visit Japan

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that representatives from the Chinese military would visit Japan in mid-January under a bilateral agreement to enhance “mutual understanding and trust.”

The ministry stated that a delegation from the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would meet with officials from Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the Joint Staff of the Self-Defense Forces.

The visit aims to strengthen defense cooperation between the two nations, the ministry added.

The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command primarily oversees security in the East China Sea, eastern China, and the Taiwan Strait.