Japanese minister to skip Seoul Defense Dialogue

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will skip next week's Seoul Defense Dialogue, officials and media reports said Friday, amid signs that defense exchanges between South Korea and Japan may be losing momentum following Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine last month. Japan will instead be represented by Atsushi Ando, a vice-minister-level official at Japan's Ministry of Defense, according to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense. "This year's Seoul Defense Dialogue is expected to