A series of meetings with the Japanese foreign affairs-defense-economic ministers… Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Meets This Morning
On the 25th, the Korea-Japan policy consultation delegation dispatched by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol to Japan met with Japan’s foreign ministers, defense ministers, and economic ministers and lawmakers one after another. After meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, the head of the delegation, Deputy National Assembly Vice President Jeong Jin-seok, said, “The perception of President-elect Yun is that Korea-Japan relations should be restored to the best of the past as soon as possible,” he said. The delegation will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the morning of the 26th.
The delegation also attended the welcome dinner held by Foreign Minister Hayashi at the Ikura Government Office in Tokyo on the same day. This is the place where former President Roh Moo-hyun, who made a state visit to Japan in June 2003, had an official dinner with former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. It is unusual in Japan for three ministers to meet with foreign delegations in one day with a time lag and even arrange a dinner for foreign ministers. Although there is still a large difference in positions on the issue of past history, it is interpreted that the Japanese government is showing its will to improve relations between Korea and Japan.
After an hour-long meeting with Foreign Minister Hayashi, the Vice-Chairman of the Government said that they had confirmed each other’s perception that Korea and Japan should strengthen cooperative relations. “The two countries agreed on the need to closely maintain and strengthen cooperative relations as good nations that shared the values of liberal democracy and market economy and shared future tasks,” he said.
After meeting with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda, the delegation said, “Although there are pending issues such as export regulations, we said that we should make efforts to wisely solve the problem of pioneering a mutually beneficial future between the two countries on a new starting line.” The Japanese side expressed its intention to continue consultations while maintaining the position that the South Korean government’s withdrawal of the World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against the export control measures is a priority.
The delegation discussed countermeasures against North Korea’s ballistic missile launch with Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that “there is a shared view within the country that relations should be improved with the inauguration of the new government.”
Regarding the solution to the problem of conscripted laborers and comfort women victims of the Japanese military, which the Japanese government has been demanding, the Vice President of the Government said, “There is no content presented by the delegation today. They said that we should make efforts to reach a desirable conclusion through sincere dialogue. This means that Japan must also come up with a sincere solution.
A breakfast meeting was also held between the delegation and the Japan Oriental Medical Association, a nonpartisan meeting of lawmakers in Japan. Federation president Nukaga Fukushiro, former Japanese finance minister, said, “As long as President-elect Yoon gave a good message, it will be a step in improving relations.”
Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Sang-hoon sanghun@donga.com
