Republic Of Korea And Japan Move Closer To Rapprochement

The Japan Times has reported that South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol has made another decisive step towards the restoration of relations with Tokyo at a business conference in Seoul today.

• According to JT, Yoon told Masakazu Tokura, the leader of the Japan Business Federation, "that South Korea and Japan must work together to address pending issues that have strained their bilateral ties."
• Yoon said “The two countries should make efforts and combine their wisdom to build a future-oriented partnership.”
• JT continues: "After the meeting, Tokura told reporters that he asked Yoon to hold summit talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to improve bilateral relations."
• The increasing dialogue between Yoon and Kishida suggests that rapprochement between Japan and ROK is now likely.
• Asia Times wrote following the first talks between Yoon and Kishida at the NATO summit in Madrid, last week: "Yoon, who took office in May, has zero diplomatic experience but was firing on all cylinders in Madrid."
• Yoon said after the Kishida NATO meeting: “I came away confident that Prime Minister Kishida will become a partner in resolving issues between South Korea and Japan.”