Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Thursday was welcomed aboard a South Korean naval vessel during its port call in Japan, highlighting the increasingly close security collaboration between Tokyo and Seoul amid North Korea's growing military threats.
Nakatani interacted with crew members of the South Korean navy's amphibious assault ship, the Marado, which was making a stop at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
It marks the first time a Japanese defense chief has boarded a South Korean warship, Japan's Defense Ministry said.
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