Korea and Japan Hold Security Policy Consultations in Seoul

Senior foreign and defense officials at the vice minister level from South Korea and Japan held a security policy meeting in Seoul and discussed the situation in the Middle East and regional security issues. The meeting, held on the 7th at the Government Complex Seoul, was attended by South Korea's First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo and Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Doohee, as well as Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Funakoshi Takehiro and DirectorGeneral for Defense Policy Kano Koji of the Ministry of Defense. This was the first time the consultative body, which had previously been at the directorgeneral level, was elevated to the vice minister level. At the meeting, response measures to the unstable situation in the Middle East caused by the war between the United States and Iran were a key agenda item. Concerns over a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and issues of energy security and securing the stability of sea transport routes were raised, and changes in the East Asian security environment, such as North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile capabilities and China's military expansion, may also have been discussed. In particular, attention was focused on whether discussions took place on the Acquisition and CrossServicing Agreement (ACSA), an agreement for mutual logistics support to facilitate material cooperation between the South Korean military and Japan's SelfDefense Forces. Japan has been relatively positive about concluding the agreement, but South Korea has maintained a cautious stance, saying public understanding is necessary. This consultation also appears to have served as prior coordination ahead of the South KoreaJapan summit, expected later this month.