Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back says he hopes that South Korea and Japan will squarely face their past and step into the future while assessing the present. 

Ahn made the remarks when he met with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on Friday at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture, adding that he hopes their meeting will lay the groundwork to further advance Seoul-Tokyo ties. 

Koizumi said he believes the doors have opened for South Korea-Japan defense cooperation with Friday’s meeting, as he noted that Yokosuka is his hometown.

Koizumi added that bilateral defense cooperation with South Korea and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. have become more important than ever and vowed to further deepen bilateral defense cooperation to continue the positive momentum built by their countries’ leaders during a recent summit. 

Noting that South Korea’s Air Force flight display team, the Black Eagles, made a stop at Naha Air Base in Okinawa on Wednesday, Koizumi said he believes the latest move ushered in a new era of bilateral exchange in defense cooperation.

The Black Eagles stopped in Okinawa to refuel and also conducted an exchange event with Blue Impulse, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.