Seoul – South Korea and Japan reaffirmed Sunday their commitment to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The two countries also agreed to revive joint search and rescue exercises as part of efforts to strengthen security cooperation.
At a meeting in Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara pledged to work together to promote regional stability. They also emphasized cooperation through partnerships with the United States, during the sixth round of bilateral talks.
The South Korean defense ministry said in a statement that both ministers agreed to maintain cooperation aimed at preserving peace and stability in a challenging security environment.
South Korea and Japan, with encouragement from the United States, have worked to strengthen their relationship since 2022, overcoming longstanding historical disputes dating back to Japan’s colonial rule over Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan have pursued this policy.
In 2019, Seoul moved to terminate its GSOMIA intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan after Tokyo restricted exports of semiconductor materials and removed South Korea from its trade whitelist, a decision rooted in historical tensions linked to Japanese colonial rule.
In 2025, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinjiro Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon agreed to deepen security and economic ties. Defense ministers from both countries also pledged to work with Washington against North Korea’s nuclear threats and Pyongyang’s growing military cooperation with Russia, including partnerships in artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and annual trilateral exercises.
In January 2026, Kishida and Yoon agreed to expand shuttle diplomacy, and in May they strengthened cooperation in the energy sector.