S. Korean defense chief to visit Japan next week+

SEOUL, April 18 Kyodo - South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang Hee will visit Japan next week for talks with his Japanese counterpart Yasukazu Hamada and to conclude a broad agreement to promote national security cooperation between the two countries, diplomatic sources said Saturday.

The proposed memorandum on the exchange of defense issues outlines areas of
bilateral cooperation on national defense.
Japan and South Korea maintain frequent working-level contacts between defense
officials and the two countries have conducted joint maritime search and rescue
exercises, while military commanders and warships have exchanged visits.
South Korean officials have hailed the proposed memorandum as a new
''hallmark'' in advancing bilateral relations with Japan.
Lee, who will be in Tokyo from Thursday to Saturday, is the first South Korean
defense chief to visit Japan since February 2007 when then Defense Minister Kim
Jang Soo visited for annual defense consultations.
The meeting last year in Seoul was canceled as Japan was in the midst of a
reshuffle of top personnel at the Defense Ministry.
The upcoming meeting between Lee and Hamada on Thursday will give the defense
chiefs an opportunity to brief each other on the defense policies of the two
countries.
They are also likely to exchange notes on security issues in the Korean
Peninsula, as highlighted by Pyongyang's launch of a long-range missile earlier
this month.
The two defense chiefs are also expected to reaffirm their governments'
commitment to working closely with the United States on national security
issues.
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso met with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak
in Thailand on April 11 and reaffirmed that they will work closely on the issue
of North Korea's missile development and six-party talks on North Korea's
nuclear program.