SOUTH KOREA: Japan's maritime vessels visit the port of Pyeongtaek as part of an annual visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties

Record ID: 466192

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Japan's maritime vessels visit the port of Pyeongtaek as part of an annual visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties
  • Date: 4th April 2012
  • Summary: PYONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA (APRIL 3, 2012) (REUTERS) NAVAL ESCORT VESSELS (LEFT: YAMAGIRI, RIGHT: KURAMA) JAPANESE NATIONAL FLAG JAPANESE SAILORS ON VESSELS YAMAGIRI VESSEL CANNON EXTERIOR OF YAMAGIRI VESSEL TORPEDO BOATS KURAMA VESSEL'S RADAR FENCE VARIOUS OF HELICOPTERS PARKED IN KURAMA (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) COMMANDER KAZUHISA IMUTA OF JAPAN'S MARITIME SELF-DEFENCE FORCE SAYING: "The purpose of this is to teach knowledge and skills in the field. By visiting other countries, in addition to widening their views, we also hope to improve friendships between countries." KURAMA VARIOUS OF RADAR FENCE VARIOUS OF CANNON JAPANESE SAILORS VARIOUS OF JAPAN'S SELF-DEFENCE FORCES FLAG
  • Embargoed: 19th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADYSQHO9CYCMIXHLD08491TUFS
  • Story Text: Japan's maritime self-defence forces visited a South Korean port on Tuesday (April 3) as part of an annual cruise exercise aimed at boosting bilateral ties between the two countries.
    Two naval escort vessels, "Yamagiri" and "Kurama" had been anchored in the Pyeongtaek port, in Gyeonggi Province, since Sunday (April 1) and are scheduled to stay until Friday (April 4).
    Five hundred and thirty personnel were on board, and three helicopters were mobilized for the visit.
    "The purpose of this is to teach knowledge and skills in the field. By visiting other countries, in addition to widening their views, we also hope to improve friendships between countries," said Commander Kazuhisa Imuta of Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force.
    The visit comes at a time amid heightened tension in the region after North Korean announced a planned satellite launch plan in the coming weeks.
    Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) is constitutionally limited to defending the country while there has been a national debate over whether it can play a bigger role in the face of a belligerent North Korea and an assertive China.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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