The leaders of Japan and South Korea have agreed to develop stable and future-oriented relations between their two countries.
Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met for around two hours in Tokyo on Saturday. Lee was visiting Japan for the first time since taking office in June.
The two leaders confirmed that their countries, together with the United States, will work closely to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
They also agreed to establish a framework for consultation to find solutions to common social and economic issues such as declining birthrates and anti-disaster measures.
On the subject of historical perceptions, Ishiba explained that he has largely inherited the positions of previous Cabinets.
Ishiba also referred to import restrictions imposed by South Korea on some Japanese marine products. He conveyed his intention to communicate with Seoul based on scientific grounds. The restrictions were put in place following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011.
In a joint news conference after the talks, Ishiba said he hoped Japan-South Korea relations will gain new strength and develop further. He said that precisely because these are difficult times he would like to see the two governments and peoples join hands and move forward together toward a better future.
The governments issued a joint press release on the outcome of the summit. It’s the first time in 17 years that such a document has been released.
Japanese government officials say this is evidence that there are fewer pending issues and that relations between the two countries have stabilized.
Japanese officials say the government hopes to further strengthen ties by establishing “shuttle diplomacy,” which involves mutual visits by top leaders, and by promoting cooperation in various fields, including the economy and people-to-people exchanges.
AloJapan.com