Joint Exercise between Korea and Japan Army

The Korean and Japanese governments plan to perform a joint exercise in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in the summer of 1999. The Japanese daily, Nikkei, reported on October 11, that the Korean and Japanese militaries will have their first joint exercise in history for search and rescue operations in the event of an emergency. Joint military exercises were proposed and agreed on at the recent summit meeting.
The paper said that this is the third time that the Japanese military has had a joint exercise with a foreign army. Joint exercises can fortify the relationship between the two countries especially regarding the heightened security concerns brought on by North Korea's missile launching. This exercise will be performed so that if, for example, there is a fire on a private vessel, aircraft and vessels from both countries will move out to the region, for a more effective search and rescue operation. Staff from both countries are discussing details for a concrete exercise plan.