中谷防衛相、韓国軍艦に初乗艦　７年ぶりに共同訓練も

　中谷元・防衛相は７日、海上自衛隊横須賀基地（神奈川県横須賀市）に寄港した韓国海軍艦艇に乗艦し、乗組員と交流した。防衛省によると、記録が残る限り、日本の防衛担当閣僚が韓国軍艦に乗り込むのは初めて。
　同省は７日、韓国艦艇と海自練習艦が６日に紀伊半島沖で共同航行の訓練を実施したと発表。海自と韓国海軍の共同訓練は約７年ぶりで、中谷氏は歓迎式典で「部隊レベルでの相互信頼の強化は非常に重要だ」と語った。（2024/11/07-18:11）

Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani visited a South Korean naval ship and interacted with its crew on Thursday at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Yokosuka base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.
   It is the first time Japan's defense minister has boarded a South Korean military vessel, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
   Nakatani's visit was aimed at demonstrating defense cooperation between Japan and South Korea and deepening exchanges between the two sides in light of their improving relations.
   Since an 2018 incident in which a South Korean destroyer pointed its fire control radar at an MSDF surveillance plane, no South Korean military ships had visited Japanese ports until this time, except for an international fleet review in 2022.
   In June this year, the two countries' defense chiefs agreed on measures to prevent a similar incident.