TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on June 4 that he wanted to “energise” cooperation with South Korea, after new centre-left President Lee Jae-myung took power.
Spats over territory and a bitter dispute over Japan’s use of forced labour during its decades-long 20th-century occupation of the Korean peninsula have long strained ties between the two neighbours.
But the countries became closer under South Korea’s disgraced former leader Yoon Suk Yeol, including through three-way talks with joint ally US.
“This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea,” Mr Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo.
“With President Lee Jae-myung, I would like to energise cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as between Japan, the United States and South Korea.”
Mr Ishiba added that “it would be good if we could hold a Japan-South Korea summit in the near future”.
Mr Lee won a snap election held six months after a disastrous attempt to declare martial law by South Korea’s former president Yoon plunged the country into political chaos.
“There are various public opinions inside South Korea” towards Japan, Mr Ishiba said.
Mr Lee had previously taken a harder line towards the country than Yoon, including saying that the former president was “submissive” to Japan, according to Yonhap news agency.
“The new President has made some statements in the past. But during the election campaign, he also said that Japan is an important partner and that he loves the Japanese people,” Mr Ishiba said.
“We will strengthen our ties with South Korea by opening our hearts and minds and engaging in active exchanges with South Korea,” he added. AFP
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