Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to skip the Seoul Defense Dialogue in Seoul early next week, sources said Friday. Seoul’s defense ministry said a vice defense minister from Tokyo will attend instead. The absence comes after Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine last month drew criticism from Seoul. Koizumi and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back have already met three times this year.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi delivers a speech during the Japan Self-Defense Force's (JSDF) senior officers conference at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday. EPA-Yonhap
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to skip an annual security forum in Seoul early next week, sources familiar with the matter said Friday, a move seen as related to his recent visit to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo that drew criticism from Seoul.
Koizumi will not attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), set for Monday through Wednesday, multiple sources told Yonhap News Agency.
A vice defense minister from Tokyo will be present in his place, Seoul's defense ministry said.
