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

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is reportedly planning to miss the annual security forum in Seoul, sources close to the situation have indicated. This decision comes in the wake of his recent visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which has drawn criticism from Seoul. Koizumi will not be attending the Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), scheduled for Monday to Wednesday, according to multiple sources speaking to the Yonhap News Agency.

The Tokyo vice defense minister will take his place instead, as announced by Seoul's defense ministry. Koizumi had been anticipated to participate in the upcoming forum, given the robust high-level defense diplomacy between the two nations, which has been bolstered by an improvement in bilateral relations. His predecessor, Gen Kanatani, had attended the SDD the previous year.

Although the precise rationale behind Koizumi's absence remains uncertain, his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine last month may have influenced the decision. Koizumi was among a group of Japanese lawmakers who paid a visit to the shrine on the anniversary of the end of World War II, observed on August 15. The Yasukuni Shrine commemorates Japanese war casualties, including 14 individuals classified as Class A criminals convicted in international tribunals.