Japan' s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani was welcomed aboard a South Korean warship during its port call near Tokyo on Wednesday, a first for a Japanese defense chief, as the two countries step up security ties against a backdrop of growing tension in the region.
Nakatani greeted and spoke with South Korean sailors aboard their Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado which was making a port call at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, west of Tokyo, on Thursday.
