Black Eagles in flight (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
TOKYO, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A plan for a South Korean Air Force jet to refuel at a Japanese Self-Defense Force base has collapsed after Tokyo raised objections over the aircraft’s prior flight over Dokdo, the disputed islets between the two countries, Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.
According to the report, Seoul had requested permission for its Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team to make a refueling stop at Japan’s Naha Air Base in Okinawa en route to the Dubai Airshow later this month.
Tokyo initially viewed the request as a gesture to promote defense cooperation between the two countries but reversed course after confirming that some of the jets had recently flown over Dokdo, which Japan claims as its own territory.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reportedly decided to cancel the refueling support plan just before her first summit with President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju on October 30, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.
The two leaders had agreed to pursue “future-oriented” bilateral ties during their talks, though the Dokdo dispute remains a deep point of contention.
South Korea explained that the Dokdo flight had been part of a routine training exercise in preparation for the airshow, the report said.
The refueling would have marked the first time a South Korean military aircraft was serviced at a Japanese base and could have paved the way for broader defense cooperation, including a potential mutual logistics support agreement.
Despite the setback, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing defense dialogue. South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, met a day earlier in Malaysia, where they agreed to continue efforts to advance bilateral and trilateral security cooperation with the United States.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
