Minister Blair to travel to the Republic of Korea and Japan

September 6, 2024 – Frankfurt, Germany – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, will visit the Republic of Korea from September 8 to 12, 2024, and then visit Japan from September 12 to 14, 2024. These are Minister Blair’s first visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan as Minister of National Defence.

In the Republic of Korea, Minister Blair will participate in the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit, co-host the United Nations Command (UNC) Ministerial, address the Seoul Defence Dialogue, and hold a bilateral meeting with the Republic of Korea’s new Minister of Defence, Kim Yong-hyun. Minister Blair and his counterpart will discuss opportunities to bolster defence industrial collaboration between Canada and Korea – and progress on implementing the Canada-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Minister Blair will highlight Canada’s ongoing contributions to the region’s security, including its contributions to the UNC, Canadian monitoring of sanctions violations by North Korea through Operation NEON, and Canada’s increasing defence presence in the Indo-Pacific thanks to Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. This includes Exercise PACIFIC VANGUARD which involves the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver sailing alongside warships from Japan, Korea, and the United States.

In Japan, Minister Blair will meet with Japan’s Defence Minister Kihara Minoru to strengthen the Canada-Japan bilateral partnership, particularly in areas of security and defence. Minister Blair will also meet with Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to Japan, including personnel deployed in the Enforcement Coordination Cell, which monitors the DPRK’s illicit activities and coordinates partner nation actions at sea and in the air to track, disrupt, and deter those illicit activities. Minister Blair will highlight the increasing operational cooperation between Canada and Japan, including the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity conducted in June 2024, as well as Exercise PACIFIC VANGUARD, and the routine deployment of Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora aircraft to Japan on Operation NEON.

All times local.

September 9, 2024

9:15 am KST– Minister Blair will visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

• Media should contact Jill.Marrack@international.gc.ca to register.
• Location: DMZ

2:30 pm KST – Minister Blair will attend a Defence Industry Engagement Showcase

• Media should contact Jill.Marrack@international.gc.ca to register.
• Location: Seoul Air Base

September 10, 2024

9:30 am KST – Minister Blair will lay a wreath at the Stone Garden at the Canadian Embassy.

• Media should contact Jill.Marrack@international.gc.ca to register.
• Location: Canadian Embassy, 21 Jeongdong-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

1:15 pm KST – Minister Blair will participate in a roundtable at the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM) conference

• Live broadcast on YouTube
• Location: Westin Josun Hotel,106 Sogong-ro, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

4:20 pm KST – Minister Blair will deliver keynote remarks at the United Nations Command (UNC) Ministerial

• Media should contact Jill.Marrack@international.gc.ca to register.
• Location: Lotte Hotel, 30 Euji-ro, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

September 11, 2024

9:00 am KST – Minister Blair will address the Seoul Defence Dialogue and participate in Plenary Session I: Deterring war and preserving the rules-based international order, alongside his Korean counterpart Kim Yong-hyun and Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee of NATO.

• Media should contact Jill.Marrack@international.gc.ca to register.
• Minister Blair’s remarks will be broadcast live on YouTube by the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense.
• Location: Lotte Hotel, 30 Euji-ro, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

September 13, 2024

10:30 am JST – Minister Blair will participate in a fireside chat on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Moderated by Professor Akira Igata, The University of Tokyo.

• Open to media.
• Media should contact Nicole.Meszaros@international.gc.ca to register.
• Location: Canadian Embassy, 7 Chome-3-38 Akasaka, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan

2:00 pm JST – Minister Blair will be welcomed by an Honour Guard and participate in a photo opportunity before a bilateral meeting with Minister of Defense of Japan, Kihara Minoru.

• Media should contact Nicole.Meszaros@international.gc.ca to register.