A continued military spat between South Korea and Japan appears to be taking a toll on the two nations' military exchanges.

According to Seoul's Defense Ministry and Navy on Sunday, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, the commander of the Korean Navy's First Fleet, has canceled his planned trip to Japan set for next month. 

As part of an exchange program, South Korea has sent a two-star Navy officer to Japan on odd-numbered years, while Japan has sent an equivalent officer to Korea on even-numbered years.

Japan's Sankei Shimbun daily reported on Saturday that Japan's Defense Ministry is reconsidering its plan to send its helicopter carrier Izumo for an international exercise that will start in April in waters off South Korea's southern port city of Busan and move all the way to Singapore.

According to NHK, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters on Saturday that he wants to carry out a review to determine what form of Japanese participation in the exercise will be "appropriate."