TOKYO: The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Sunday reaffirmed the three countries’ unity, in response to North Korea’s moves to deepen ties with Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine, and China’s growing maritime expansion.

At a meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean National Defense Minister Shin Won-sik signed a memorandum of understanding on the institutionalization of activities related to trilateral security cooperation, such as regular defense ministers meetings and joint exercises.

It was the first time for the three countries’ defense chiefs to meet in Japan. Kihara, Austin and Shin met in Singapore last month.

Kihara said at the start of the meeting that the three countries’ cooperation is set to enter a new stage in both name and reality with this historic meeting.

The memorandum calls on the three countries to take turns to host annual high-level meetings, including those among their defense ministers. Tokyo, Washington and Seoul will also reinforce defense cooperation, including by sharing information on North Korean missiles in real time, and promote joint exercises.

The three ministers said in a press statement that the memorandum ” institutionalizes trilateral security cooperation among defense authorities.” Next year, South Korea will host a three-way meeting of defense ministers, according to the statement.

Austin praised the memorandum, saying that it will give assurance to the three nations’ strong long-term defense relations.

Stressing the significance of the memorandum, Shin said that it will help ensure the unwavering implementation of three-way cooperation amid the fluid security environment.

In the statement, the ministers expressed “grave concern” over the increasing military and economic cooperation commitment between North Korea and Russia. They also “shared assessments” of recent maritime and air military activities in the Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, according to the statement.

Following the recent improvement in the Japan-South Korea relations, the three countries last month conducted the new Freedom Edge exercise involving multiple domains such as cyberspace. Earlier this month, chiefs of staff at Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. and South Korean militaries held a meeting in Tokyo.

Earlier on Sunday, Kihara also held a bilateral meeting with Shin, who became the first South Korean defense minister to visit Japan since 2009.

The two ministers confirmed their intentions to expedite bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges after the two countries agreed on measures last month to prevent a repeat of the December 2018 radar incident, which had been an obstacle to the promotion of Japan-South Korea defense relations.

Specifically, Kihara and Shin agreed to compile annual exchange programs including mutual visits by the two countries’ defense ministers to each other’s nation. They also agreed to work on resuming bilateral search and rescue drills, which have not been conducted since 2017.

In the 2018 incident, a South Korean navy destroyer directed its fire-control radar at a Japanese Maritime SDF patrol aircraft over the Sea of Japan off the Noto Peninsula in central Japan.

JIJI Press