Japan, S. Korea leaders affirm need to restore bilateral ties in ‘informal talks’
15:42 JST, September 22, 2022
NEW YORK — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol affirmed the need to restore Japan-South Korea relations by resolving wartime labor issues among other matters during a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
According to sources, the two leaders also agreed to instruct their respective diplomatic officials to accelerate bilateral consultations and increase summit-level communication to “develop the Japan-South Korea relationship in a future-oriented manner” in Wednesday’s meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes.
Kishida and Yoon affirmed that Japan and South Korea are “important neighbors under the current strategic environment,” the sources said. The leaders agreed to promote bilateral and trilateral cooperation involving the United States, and to work together to deal with North Korea.
Yoon reiterated his support for Japan’s efforts to resolve the issue of abductions by Pyongyang, involving Japanese nationals.
The meeting between the two leaders was their first dialogue since a brief conversation in June on the sidelines of a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Madrid.
The Japanese government described the sit-down meeting on Wednesday as “informal talks,” as it considered it premature to hold a summit between the leaders of the two countries with no prospect in sight of resolving the issue of former wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean presidential office announced that the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
The South Korean government is considering how to respond to the wartime labor issue by taking such steps as establishing a public-private council to discuss the issue. The Japanese government will continue to closely monitor the South Korean side with regard to future dialogue between the leaders, according to the sources.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
Chinese Ships Stay in Japanese Waters near Senkaku Islands for 2 Days
-
Japan, U.S. to Join Forces on AI, Semiconductors; Seek to Counter China’s ‘Military-Civil Fusion’
-
Japan, U.S. to Work Together for Expanding Marine Product Supply Chains; Countering China’s Economic Coercion
-
84% of People Nationwide Say They Feel Japan’s National Security Is Under Threat
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years