Japan - South Korea: A new phase for bilateral relations

09:56, 09/05/2023

On May 7 and 8, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited South Korea to open a new phase in bilateral relations. This was the first visit by a Japanese leader to the land of Kimchi after 12 years of tension related to the issue of compensation for Korean victims of forced labor during wartime without contributions from Japanese companies.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at a meeting on May 7.

After more than a decade of disputes that led to sanctions and retaliation, relations between Japan and South Korea began to improve in March after Seoul announced a plan to compensate victims of forced labor during the war through a fund funded by private companies. Instead of asking Japan to pay directly as before, South Korea only asked related companies in its neighbor to voluntarily participate in the fund. To express its willingness to normalize relations, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol traveled to Japan to attend a summit with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in mid-March.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit is considered a step in response to Seoul's positive move. As soon as he landed in the South Korean capital, the Japanese leader immediately went to the Seoul National Cemetery to lay flowers to pay tribute to the South Korean soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country. According to Professor Lim Eun-jung, of Kongju National University, this is a special gesture of reconciliation by a Japanese leader.

The determination to establish a new beginning for the Korea-Japan relationship was clearly demonstrated through the results of the talks between President Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan. The two leaders agreed that Korea and Japan should cooperate more closely on security, economic and global issues. The two leaders affirmed that improving Korea-Japan relations will bring great benefits to the people of both countries, and agreed to develop bilateral relations to a new level in the future.

Accordingly, in the coming time, the two sides will promote comprehensive cooperation in the fields of security and economy, including the security dialogue mechanism between diplomatic and security agencies, economic security dialogue, and at the same time carry out procedures to restore preferential trade status, also known as the "white list". The two sides also discussed promoting research and development cooperation in advanced science and technology fields such as space, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI)...

In addition, the two governments agreed to discuss specific measures to expand exchanges between future generations, focusing on youth, helping people of the two countries enhance mutual understanding and build long-term friendship and trust.

Speaking at a press conference concluding the talks, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol affirmed that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit marked the restoration of shuttle diplomacy between the two countries' leaders, and reflected that the process of normalizing bilateral relations is currently on the right track. Deepening cooperation between the two countries in the fields of security and economy will benefit the people of both countries.

According to analysts, in the context of the world and the region witnessing many constant changes and facing many unpredictable risks, South Korea and Japan share universal values and have been close allies who cannot give up their common interests in terms of security and economy. The positive moves between the leaders of Japan and South Korea in recent times show that the two countries have overcome past difficulties to move towards a mutually beneficial relationship.

According to Hanoi Moi

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