Msdf Invites S.korean Navy To Intl. Fleet Review
Japan has invited South Korea's Navy to take part in the Maritime Self-Defense Force's international fleet review for the first time in seven years.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force holds a fleet review about once every three years, with foreign naval vessels as guest participants. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the MSDF's founding, there are plans to hold a large-scale international fleet review for the first time in 20 years.
The event is scheduled to take place in Sagami Bay off Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, in November.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said on Tuesday that Japan will hold the fleet review in order to contribute to regional peace and stability.
Matsuno said all member states of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium are invited except Russia. He said the decision to invite South Korea, which is a member, was made after a general review of current bilateral relations.
The Japanese government declined to invite the South Korean Navy to the previous fleet review in 2019, amid worsened relations between the two countries.
It is the first time since 2015 for Japan to extend such an invitation. The South Korean administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May this year, has shown eagerness to mend relations with Japan.