Japan Refuses Refueling for Black Eagles, Citing "Flight Near Dokdo"
South Korea Withholds Military Band Participation and Cancels Joint Drill
Military exchanges between South Korea and Japan have been experiencing a series of setbacks. Following Japan's refusal to provide refueling support for South Korea's Air Force aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, the South Korean military band has also decided to withhold its participation in a music event hosted by the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
On August 15th, the color guard and military band of the Ministry of National Defense leading the Liberation Day parade. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
According to Kyodo News on November 7, South Korea has notified Japan that it will withhold the participation of its military band in the "Self-Defense Forces Music Festival," scheduled to take place at Tokyo Budokan from November 13 to 15. This event was a cooperative project that the defense ministers of South Korea and Japan had agreed to promote during their meeting in September as part of efforts to expand personnel exchanges.
The Self-Defense Forces Music Festival is held every November, featuring not only the army, navy, and air force bands of the Japan Self-Defense Forces but also foreign military bands. The participation of the South Korean military band was set to resume after 10 years. However, the atmosphere changed rapidly after Japan refused to provide refueling support for the Black Eagles, citing their recent flight near Dokdo as an issue.
Previously, South Korea and Japan had planned for the Black Eagles to conduct a mid-air refueling stop at Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, en route to the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the Japanese Ministry of Defense refused the refueling request, stating that the T-50B aircraft had conducted a routine training flight near Dokdo on October 28. As a result, it has been reported that the South Korean military decided not to participate in the airshow with the Black Eagles.
A joint search and rescue exercise between the South Korean and Japanese navies, which was scheduled to take place this month, has also reportedly been canceled. This exercise had been conducted several times in the past but was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and was set to resume this time.
Both governments are exercising caution to prevent the current situation from escalating into a diplomatic conflict, but it appears inevitable that the pace of defense exchanges will need to be adjusted.
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