Tokyo, 11 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday he will talk with the new South Korean government under President Yoon Suk Yeol toward improving the frayed bilateral relationship over a range of issues including wartime matters.
Speaking to reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Kishida also said, “We need to develop the Japan-South Korea relations that have been built since the 1965 normalization. To that end, it is an urgent task to resolve concerns between the two countries.”
He made the remarks when asked how he will approach the new South Korean government.
With the advent of conservative South Korean leadership in May, speculation is growing that the two Asian neighbors, both key U.S. allies, may work more closely as they both face the security threat of North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.
Bilateral relations plummeted to their lowest point in decades under the previous South Korean government of liberal President Moon Jae In, with the two countries clashing over compensation issues for wartime labor and the history of “comfort women” in military brothels, among other trade and defense issues.
But Kishida said no arrangements have been made for a potential meeting between the two leaders.
He is visiting Singapore for the security forum, which is being held through Sunday.
