The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 2nd that a plan for a South Korean Air Force aircraft to refuel for the first time at a Japan Self-Defense Forces base was pushed forward but fell through after Japan took issue with the aircraft's past flight over Dokdo.
According to the report, South Korea asked Japan to allow a stopover and refueling at Naha base in Okinawa Prefecture as the Air Force's special flight team "Black Eagles" moves to take part in an air show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in mid- to late this month.
Japan initially reviewed the request positively for exchanges and cooperation between the South Korean military and the Self-Defense Forces, but after confirming that some Black Eagles aircraft recently flew over Dokdo, it conveyed its protest and decided to reject South Korea's request.
The Yomiuri Shimbun said the decision was made just before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held her first summit with President Lee Jae-myung on the 30th in Gyeongju, where she was visiting to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting.
The Japanese government has consistently advanced the unfounded claim that Dokdo is its inherent territory. The South Korean side is said to have explained that the Black Eagles' Dokdo flight was training for the air show.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that if the first refueling for a South Korean Air Force aircraft had been realized, there had been expectations in Japan that defense cooperation between the two countries would be strengthened, including the conclusion of a reciprocal logistics support agreement.