Japan expects ties with South Korea to improve under new government: Premier

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke to South Korea’s President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday, stressing the need for improvement in bilateral relations.

“We must develop Japan-ROK (Republic of Korea) relations based on the foundation of our friendly and cooperative relationship that our countries have built up since we normalized our diplomatic ties,” Kishida said in a phone call with Yoon.

The Japanese premier’s office said Kishida expressed Tokyo’s expectations for Yoon’s leadership and conveyed his willingness to cooperate closely.

Yoon was elected as South Korea’s new president on Wednesday after a tight presidential race.

The president-elect has said he wants to build a “future-oriented” relationship with Japan.

During the 15-minute phone call, Kishida said Japan and South Korea “are important neighboring countries to each other and that when the international community is confronted with epoch-making changes, sound Japan-ROK relations are indispensable in realizing a rules-based international order and ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bilateral relations between Tokyo and Seoul have nosedived since 2019 over historic wartime issues, including women forced into sex slavery, who were euphemistically labeled as “comfort women.”

The Japanese premier also emphasized the importance of trilateral coordination between Japan, South Korea and the US.

Yoon conveyed that “he values Japan-South Korea relations and is willing to cooperate together to improve the relations,” the statement said.

“Both sides also shared the view to coordinate closely in dealing with North Korea, including nuclear and missile issues,” it added.