TOKYO — South Korean and Japanese leaders will meet later Thursday in Tokyo in a bid to beat disputes over historical past and rapidly rebuild safety and financial ties later, as a North Korean missile launch and encounters between Japanese and Chinese language vessels in disputed waters present what’s at stake for the 2 international locations.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a working go to following South Korea’s announcement of an area fund for Korean victims of wartime compelled labor that may pay compensation the South Korean court docket judgment has demanded from Japanese firms. The 2 international locations hope that it may restart common bilateral visits, after a niche of greater than a decade.
A North Korean missile launch early Thursday simply earlier than Yoon departed for Tokyo may enhance momentum for he and Kishida to maneuver their international locations nearer diplomatically. The intercontinental ballistic missile was launched on a steep trajectory to keep away from land and fell into open waters off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Yoon arrived safely hours later for the summit that underscores the 2 nations’ shared sense of urgency to type a united entrance on North Korea and China with their mutual ally, the USA.
“The peace and stability within the area are vital for the area, and we should additional strengthen cooperation amongst allies and like-minded international locations,” Kishida mentioned, referring to the missile launch.
Chief Cupboard Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno mentioned Japan on the summit desires to reaffirm cooperation with Seoul and Washington in responses to North Korea’s missile threats.
Japan’s invitation for Yoon to go to adopted South Korea’s announcement of an area compensation fund for Korean victims of wartime compelled labor by Japanese firms that might not require Japanese contributions.
Yoon, in his written response Wednesday to questions by overseas media together with The Related Press, mentioned there is no such thing as a time to waste whereas leaving strained Korea-Japan relations unattended. “I imagine we should finish the vicious cycle of mutual hostility and work collectively to hunt our two international locations’ widespread pursuits.”
Higher Japan-South Korea ties are wanted as feuding over historic points has undermined a U.S. push to strengthen its alliances in Asia to raised deal with North Korean nuclear threats and China’s rise.
China’s dispute with Japan over tiny islands within the East China Sea heated up Thursday, with each side accusing the opposite of violating their maritime territory after China coast guard vessels’ entered water round an island group close to Taiwan that Japan controls and calls the Senkakus, which Beijing additionally claims and calls the Diaoyu Islands.
The main target of consideration on the two nations’ first summit in Japan since 2011 is how Kishida responds to Yoon’s plan for the fund, a serious concession by Seoul geared toward a breakthrough, and if or when they might resume protection dialogues and leaders’ common visits.
Kishida and Yoon are to have dinner collectively after their summit, then casual talks, in accordance with Kishida’s workplace. Media experiences mentioned Kishida will host a two-part dinner: “sukiyaki” beef stew for a primary spherical, then “omu-rice,” or rice topped with omelet — reportedly Yoon’s favourite dish — at one other restaurant.
Japan and South Korea have lengthy had disputes over the 1910-1945 Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula and atrocities throughout World Struggle II, which included compelled prostitution of “consolation girls” for Japanese troopers, and territorial disputes over a cluster of islands.
Ties plunged after South Korea’s Supreme Courtroom in 2018 ordered two Japanese firms, Nippon Metal and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, to compensate a few of their former Korean workers for compelled labor throughout World Struggle II.
Japan has insisted all compensation points have been settled by a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral ties and was accompanied by $800 million in financial support and loans from Tokyo to Seoul.
The historical past disputes spilled over to commerce and protection. The 2 international locations agreed to barter to revive South Korea’s commerce standing to 1 earlier than Japan imposed restrictions in 2019.
On Friday, a dozen South Korean enterprise leaders touring with Yoon are to satisfy Japanese counterparts and probably focus on organising a personal fund for financial, safety and cultural initiatives, together with these for teens.
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Related Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
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