Japan’s defense chief steps aboard visiting South Korean warship as the two nations strengthen ties

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was welcomed aboard a South Korean warship during its port call near Tokyo on Wednesday, a first for a Japanese defense chief, as the two countries step up security ties against a backdrop of growing tension in the region. Nakatani spoke with South Korean sailors aboard their Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado, which was making a port call at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, west of Tokyo, on Thursday. His visit comes two days after North Korea fired a barrage of short-range missiles into the sea just east of the Korean Peninsula shortly before the U.S. presidential election.