Japan, South Korea defence ministers unlikely to hold meeting

Sources said the defense ministers of Japan and South Korea are unlikely to hold a meeting soon because of strained bilateral relations over historical issues. A South Korean Defense Ministry source told Japan's (NHK World) on Tuesday that the ministry will probably decline Japan's proposal for a meeting between Itsunori Onodera and Kim Kwan-jin. The Japanese side is suggesting that the ministers meet on the sidelines of the Asia security summit to be held in Singapore from Friday. The ministers and US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are to discuss North Korea during the meeting. Another source said remarks and actions by some members of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet have provoked national sentiment in South Korea. The source was referring to some ministers' recent visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The shrine honors Japan's war dead, including some who were convicted of war crimes after World War Two. Japan and South Korea were to sign a pact for protecting shared security information last year. But the signing was postponed after some South Korean lawmakers called for caution against the pact.