<W Commentary> Why the Defense Ministers of Both Countries Agreed to Prevent a Recurrence of the Radar Irradiation Issue That Has Hindered Japan-South Korea Defense Exchanges

Japan and South Korea defence ministers met in Singapore on 4 April (local time). Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada and South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-seop (Ministry is equivalent to Ministry) met and agreed to accelerate talks on pending issues between Japan and South Korea, including the radar irradiation of Self-Defence Force aircraft by the South Korean military, including measures to prevent recurrence. The meeting between the defence ministers of Japan and South Korea took place for the first time in nearly three years, since November 2019. On the issue of radar irradiation of Self-Defence Force patrol aircraft, which has been an obstacle to the expansion of defence exchanges between the two countries, the two sides agreed to accelerate talks on preventing a recurrence. The Korean newspaper Hankyoreh explained that the meeting was an extension of the Yun Seok-yeol (Yun Seok-yeol) administration's policy towards Japan, which is to 'move forward towards the future without questioning past historical issues', and that the two sides tried to settle the patrol aircraft issue by bringing the North Korean nuclear and missile threat to the fore.

The radar irradiation problem occurred off the Noto Peninsula on December 20th, 2018. A Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol plane approaches while the South Korean Coast Guard and a South Korean Navy destroyer are rescuing a distressed North Korean fishing boat. It is a problem that fire control radar was irradiated from a destroyer.

The Japanese side notified the South Korean Ministry of National Defense on the afternoon of the day after the problem occurred and requested a response. About three hours after the report, the Ministry of National Defense conveyed to Japan its view that "there was no evidence of radar irradiation." Afterwards, the Ministry of National Defense explained at a press conference that the MSDF patrol plane had taken a peculiar action of passing directly over the warship, so the optical camera was aimed instead of the radar. However, the images released by the South Korean side in January 2019 did not include images taken by optical cameras. In spite of this, the South Korean side denounced that "MSDF patrol planes made threatening flights against our warships operating for humanitarian purposes." After that, the Japanese and South Korean defense authorities held working-level talks in Singapore, but the claims of both sides fell apart, and on the 21st of the same month, the Ministry of Defense announced its final opinion on the radar issue, announcing the termination of the Japan-ROK talks. Since then, exchanges between the defense authorities have ceased.

This issue occurred in South Korea during the Moon Jae-in administration. It has maintained its conventional position that it flew.

Minister of Defense Hamada and Minister of National Defense Lee met on the 4th of this month in Singapore, where they were visiting to attend the Asian Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue). After the meeting, Minister Lee told reporters, "We decided to focus on coming up with measures to prevent a recurrence of the radar irradiation issue." They will start with working-level consultations and seek solutions. "The stance of the South Korean and Japanese defense authorities on the patrol aircraft issue remains unchanged," said a Ministry of National Defense official.

In addition, in response to the agreement between the leaders of Japan and South Korea at the recent summit meeting to further develop Japan-South Korea relations, the Ministry of National Defense also said that the defense authorities would "continue to maintain close communication with a view to enhancing security cooperation," revealing the results of the meeting.

The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that the Japan-South Korea defense ministers' meeting, which was held for the first time in about three years, "started moving toward a solution to the patrol plane confrontation that has continued for nearly five years."

The Yomiuri Shimbun commented on the reason why the defense ministers of Japan and South Korea agreed at the meeting to accelerate talks, including measures to prevent a recurrence of the radar irradiation problem. The aim is to remove the 'last thorn' remaining between the defense authorities and promote defense cooperation between Japan and South Korea and between Japan and the United States, while improvements are progressing rapidly."

A South Korean newspaper, the Hankyoreh, said, "The fact that it is difficult to confirm the facts behind the two countries' decision to pull the curtain on the patrol aircraft issue also played a role. It is necessary to clarify information on the destroyer's combat system and radar information detected by Japanese patrol planes, but neither country has any intention of disclosing sensitive military information."

On the other hand, the Sankei Shimbun said, "With the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missiles growing day by day, the defense authorities of Japan and South Korea have shelved the gap between them and are working to repair relations with a focus on the future of 'prevention of recurrence.' It's a form of finding a point of agreement in embarking on it." adding, "However, security cooperation is based on the premise of trust in each other, and efforts to improve relations without covering the root of the problem cannot deny the possibility that distortions will be exposed in the future."