Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with South Korean delegation to Japan, both sides reach consensus on improving relations
Reference News Network reported on April 26 that according to a report by Yonhap News Agency on April 26 in Tokyo, the “Korea-Japan Policy Consultative Delegation” sent by President-elect Yoon Seok-wook of South Korea met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the 26th. In a subsequent interview with reporters, the two sides said that they had reached a consensus on developing South Korea-Japan relations.
According to reports, the delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the Korean National Assembly Zheng Zhenshuo went to the Japanese Prime Minister’s residence that morning and had a 25-minute meeting with Kishida Fumio. Zheng Zhenshuo briefly said that the two sides agreed that South Korea and Japan should develop future-oriented relations on a new starting line and work for common interests.
Zheng Zhenshuo said that he handed over Yin Xiyue’s handwritten letter to Kishida Fumio, and Kishida Fumio asked him to convey his thanks to Yin Xiyue. Zheng Zhenshuo said that the “Joint Declaration on the New Partnership between South Korea and Japan in the 21st Century” jointly issued by former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and former Japanese Prime Minister Keizan Obuchi, while facing historical issues, should continue to develop the spirit of the agreement to build future-oriented relations. This is Yin Xiyue. The core position on the new type of Korea-Japan relations. Zheng Zhenshuo said that Kishida Fumio also agreed to the proposal to inherit the spirit of the development declaration from a new starting point.
According to the report, Zheng Zhenshuo said that it is very important to restore mutual trust between the two countries. Therefore, it is necessary to resume and expand personnel exchanges that have been suspended due to the epidemic. At the same time, it should be supported by improving the system. Kishida Fumio also felt the same.
The report also said that the two sides also exchanged views in principle on issues left over from history, such as forced labor and “comfort women”. Zheng Zhenshuo said that Japan regards the seizure of Japanese companies’ property to realize compensation for labor losses as a very serious problem, and the South Korean side also recognizes the seriousness of the problem, and will devote diplomatic efforts in the future to seek a solution acceptable to all parties involved. Regarding the issue of “comfort women” in the Japanese army, he said that through diplomatic efforts, the two countries should formulate solutions from the perspective of restoring the victims’ reputation and dignity and healing their wounds in accordance with the spirit of the 2015 South Korea-Japan Agreement on Comfort Women. However, the Japanese government has always asked the South Korean side to come up with a solution on the above-mentioned issues.
