Japan's defense minister to skip annual security dialogue in Seoul after war shrine visit: sources

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SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is expected to skip an annual security forum in Seoul early next week, sources familiar with the matter said Friday, a move seen as related to his recent visit to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo that drew criticism from Seoul.

Koizumi will not attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), set for Monday through Wednesday, multiple sources told Yonhap News Agency.

A vice defense minister from Tokyo will be present in his place, Seoul's defense ministry said.

Koizumi had been widely expected to attend next week's forum, given the brisk high-level defense diplomacy between the two neighbors amid a warming of bilateral relations. His predecessor, Gen Kanatani, attended last year's SDD.

While the exact reason for his absence remains unclear, Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine last month may have affected the decision.

Koizumi was among a group of Japanese lawmakers who visited the shrine on the anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15.

The Yasukuni Shrine honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted in international tribunals for their roles in World War II. Visits to the site by the Japanese leadership have long been denounced by neighboring countries that view such actions as glorifying its militaristic past.

Had Koizumi attended next week's forum, he and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back would have held their fourth bilateral talks in just over two months.

Koizumi and Ahn already met three times this year, including during a Singapore security forum in May and Koizumi's reciprocal visit to Seoul in late June following Ahn's trip to Japan in January.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (2nd from R) walks during a visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)

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Japan's defense minister to skip annual security dialogue in Seoul after war shrine visit: sources

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，9月4日（韩联社）——据知情人士周五透露，日本防卫大臣小泉进次郎预计将缺席下周初在首尔举行的年度安全论坛。此举被认为与他最近参拜东京一座备受争议的战争神社有关，该神社遭到了首尔方面的批评。

据韩联社报道，多位消息人士透露，小泉将不会出席定于周一至周三举行的首尔防务对话（SDD）。

首尔国防部表示，将由东京的一名副国防部长代替他出席。

鉴于中美两国关系升温，两国高层防务外交活动频繁，外界普遍预期小泉纯一郎将出席下周的论坛。他的前任金谷元也出席了去年的防务外交论坛。

虽然小泉缺席的确切原因尚不清楚，但他上个月参拜靖国神社可能影响了他的决定。

8月15日是二战结束纪念日，小泉与其他一些日本议员一起参拜了神社。

靖国神社供奉着日本战争死难者，其中包括14名因二战罪行被国际法庭定罪的甲级罪犯。日本领导人参拜靖国神社的行为长期以来一直受到邻国的谴责，邻国认为这种行为是在美化日本的军国主义历史。

如果小泉参加下周的论坛，他和防卫大臣安圭培将在两个多月的时间里举行第四次双边会谈。

今年小泉和安永已经会面三次，包括 5 月份在新加坡举行的安全论坛上，以及 6 月底小泉回访首尔（此前安永于 1 月份访问了日本）。

2026年8月15日，防卫大臣小泉进次郎（右二）参拜东京靖国神社。（韩联社）

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据消息人士透露，日本防卫大臣参拜战神社后将缺席在首尔举行的年度安全对话。