Japan May Strengthen Military Relationship With South Korea

China can't be too happy with the prospect of a possible military alliance between Japan and South Korea.

Responding to recent provocations by North Korea, Japan's defense minister soon will visit Seoul with several proposals aimed at strengthening military ties despite South Korea's lingering bitterness over Japan's colonial past, Japanese news media reported Tuesday.

During the trip next week, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa will propose that the two Asian neighbors sign separate agreements to cooperate in supplying each other's armed forces during peacekeeping and other international operations, and to facilitate sharing of sensitive military information, the reports said. They also said he would propose Japan and South Korea increase military contacts by scheduling regular high-level meetings between defense officials.

[snip...]

According to Tuesday's news reports, one of Kitazawa's proposals would be for an agreement allowing forces to cooperate during international operations like peacekeeping and disaster-relief efforts, sharing food, water and fuel, and support services like transportation and medical care.

The news reports said it was unclear if the cooperation with South Korea would extend to military emergencies, like a larger confrontation on the Korean Peninsula. While some Japanese leaders have spoken of raising their nation's profile, Japan so far has said it would limit its military role during such a contingency to supporting the United States, its longtime protector.

Last month, South Korean observers attended joint U.S.-Japan military exercises for the first time. In an interview last month, Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara of Japan said he expected the two nations to slowly increase military ties in response to the North.

By: Shelldrake