Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, met on Saturday for the first time in more than two years, seeking a reset in icy relations over wartime history and other issues.
The meeting, held in Tokyo, was the first formal summit between the two sides since December 2019. Relations have been strained over the issue of compensation for Korean laborers forced to work during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule.
Suga and Moon agreed to set up a joint panel to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, including the wartime labor issue, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The two leaders also agreed to cooperate on issues of mutual concern, such as the North Korean nuclear threat, the statement said.
“We shared the view that trilateral cooperation involving the United States is necessary to achieve a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Suga told reporters after the meeting.
Moon said the two sides had “agreed to look to the future” and “heal the wounds of the past.”
The meeting was seen as a positive step in the two countries’ efforts to improve relations, but it remains to be seen whether the two sides can resolve the long-standing issues that have divided them.
The issue of compensation for Korean laborers forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II has been a major source of tension between the two countries. South Korea has demanded compensation for the laborers, while Japan has maintained that the issue was settled in a 1965 treaty between the two countries.
In recent years, the two countries have also clashed over the issue of the Dokdo Islands, a group of islands in the Sea of Japan that are claimed by both countries.
Despite the challenges, the two leaders expressed a desire to improve relations.
“We face many common challenges, including the North Korean nuclear issue and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Suga said. “It is important that Japan and South Korea cooperate closely to address these challenges.”
Moon said he hoped that the two countries could “build a future-oriented relationship.”
“We must work together to overcome the difficulties of the past and build a better future for our two countries,” Moon said.
The meeting between Suga and Moon was the first step in the process of improving relations between the two countries. It remains to be seen whether the two sides can resolve the long-standing issues that have divided them, but the meeting was a positive sign that the two countries are committed to working together to improve relations..
