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The Japanese helicopter carrier JS Izumo

The Japanese government is postponing the scheduled Port of Busan arrival of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier JS Izumo over its conflict with South Korea regarding low-altitude flybys and the use of radar, Japanese news outlets reported on Jan. 27.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense had initially planned to have a convoy including the Izumo at Busan for this spring’s ADMM-Plus ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting in South Korea. Multilateral naval exercises have also been scheduled to take place this April in the waters around South Korea.

According to sources, Japan does not plan to have its convoy enter the port at Busan even if it does take part in the joint exercises.

“We will necessarily be avoiding defense-related interactions with South Korea for the time being apart from participation in multilateral joint exercises,” an unnamed Ministry of Defense official told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya also hinted at the postponement of the Izumo’s arrival in Busan, announcing on Jan. 26 that he would “consider whether it is appropriate to participate [in the joint exercises] in any form.” In a Jan. 27 lecture, he was quoted by the Kyodo News agency as saying that Tokyo “wishes to try to maintain the cooperative relations between [South Korean and Japanese] defense authorities” while calling for a “cool-headed and appropriate response” from Seoul.

The Mainichi Shimbun also reported that high-ranking South Korean naval commanders had communicated plans to put off a February visit to Japan, suggesting that the souring of South Korea-Japan relations has begun affecting defense cooperation between the two sides.

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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