SINGAPORE: Japanese Defense Minister KIHARA Minoru and his South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, agreed Saturday on measures to prevent a recurrence of a 2018 incident in which a South Korean warship directed its fire control radar toward a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force plane.

At their meeting in Singapore, Kihara and Shin also agreed to expand dialogue between the two countries’ defense authorities, including resuming exchanges between their uniformed officers, in order to normalize relations between the two sides.

The preventive measures include strict adherence to the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a multilateral code of conduct for naval vessels and aircraft.

Meanwhile, the two sides stopped short of touching on what actually occurred in the 2018 incident, effectively shelving the matter.

After the radar incident in December 2018, when former South Korean President Moon Jae-in was in office, the Japanese side demanded an apology and preventive measures from the South Korean side, but the South Korean side refused to admit that a South Korean warship had directed its radar toward an MSDF plane and claimed that the MSDF plane flew at a low altitude to threaten the South Korean vessel.

“We have worked out preventive measures following the radar-directing case, which has been a pending issue for a long time,” Kihara told reporters after the meeting with Shin. “We will now reinvigorate defense cooperation and exchanges between Japan and South Korea.”

Kihara added that the Japanese side has not changed its position on the facts of the incident. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted Shin as saying that the safety of South Korean vessels has been ensured.

In a joint press statement on the day, the Japanese and South Korean ministers said they have agreed on the importance of promoting mutual understanding, including ensuring smooth communication.

The ministers vowed to strengthen security cooperation between Japan and South Korea and between the two countries and the United States, based on the outcome of their Saturday meeting.

To facilitate dialogue between their defense authorities, Japan and South Korea will hold annual vice-ministerial-level talks, resume working-level defense talks, and restart high-level exchanges between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean military, according to the statement.

JIJI Press