Japan, S. Korea Leaders Hold Their First Face-To-Face Meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and South Korean President Yoon spoke briefly on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, officials from both countries confirmed.

• Reports suggest that the leaders spoke just for a few minutes, exchanged courtesies and vowed to keep working towards improving relations between their countries.
• South Korea's presidential office had earlier suggested that there would be no bilateral meeting, even in the form of casual "pull aside" talks.
• Instead, the two East Asian nations have opted for a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Biden to be held at 14:25 Madrid time.
• Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have been tense owing to ongoing spats over historical matters, such as conpensation for wartime Korean forced labourers.
• But regional security challenges, such as China's increasingly assertive posturing and North Korean missile tests, are raising pressure on Japan and South Korea to close ranks.