# Korea, Japan defense chiefs agree to cooperate on AI, maritime search & rescue > Source: > Published: 2026-06-28 07:02:04+00:00 Korea and Japan will cooperate in developing artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies for the defense sector, the two countries' defense chiefs said Sunday. They also reaffirmed the two sides' commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace in the region. Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the cooperation pledges in a joint press statement following their bilateral talks in Seoul. "The two ministers agreed to continue to seek exchanges and cooperation between their aerobatic teams (the Black Eagles and Blue Impulse) while advancing maritime search and rescue exercises for various accidents at sea and continuing discussions on cooperating in cutting-edge technology sectors, including AI," the statement released by the Ministry of National Defense read. Discussions involving the two aerobatic teams followed an exchange event between Korea's Black Eagles and Japan's Blue Impulse, when the former refueled during a layover in Okinawa, Japan, on its way to Saudi Arabia for a