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Kishida promises warmer ties with Seoul

Published : Saturday, 7 September, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 82
SEOUL, Sept 6: Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday for a final round of talks, hoping to cement improving ties between the two countries before he leaves office.

The two nations, both key security allies of the United States, have long been at odds over historical issues linked to Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945, including sexual slavery and forced labour.

But Yoon has moved to bury the hatchet in recent years, restarting regular talks with Kishida and ramping up military cooperation in the face of rising threats from the nuclear-armed North.

"Based on the solid trust between our two countries, the relationship between Korea and Japan has improved significantly over the past year and a half," said Yoon during talks.
 
"There are still difficult issues in the Korea-Japan relationship. I look forward to working together in a forward-looking manner so that our steps toward a brighter future can continue," he added. 

Kishida said his "heart breaks" thinking so many people "have experienced sad and hard" times in "such a difficult environment", referring to the victims of the historical issues.

He added that although the two countries have "history", "it is very important to cooperate with South Korea toward the future by inheriting the efforts of our ancestors who have overcome difficult times".

Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea's deputy national security adviser told reporters the leaders reaffirmed that "the importance of Korea-Japan relations does not change regardless of who becomes the next (Japanese) prime minister".

Marking the twelfth summit between the two leaders, some experts have called it a "significant achievement".

"It took political courage from both sides to remove historical obstacles to shuttle diplomacy," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. 

"Frequent summits not only facilitate policy coordination but also signal a healthy will to cooperate to working-level officials who manage functional issues, from customs and immigration to climate change."    —AFP



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