Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back is set to visit Japan next week and meet with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi. 

According to multiple South Korean government sources on Wednesday, Seoul and Tokyo are fine-tuning details so that Ahn can make a three-day visit to Japan starting next Thursday and hold talks with Koizumi.

Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun also quoted a Japanese government source as saying the two allies are discussing ways for their defense ministers to meet this month. 

According to the Japanese paper, the two countries are considering holding the defense ministers’ meeting in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, which is Koizumi’s electoral district and houses a U.S. naval base. 

If the meeting is held there, the two ministers are likely to visit the U.S. base and confirm cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. 

Ahn and Koizumi last met in Malaysia in November of last year on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus. 

The last time a South Korean defense minister visited Japan was in July 2024.