Japanese PM Fumio Kishida arrived in South Korea on Sunday as Seoul and Tokyo look to resume their “shuttle diplomacy”. File photo | photo credit: AFP
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in South Korea on Sunday as Seoul and Tokyo seek to restart their “shuttle diplomacy” and improve ties in the face of growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang.
The plane carrying PM Kishida landed at Seoul airport in Seongnam on Sunday – the first official bilateral visit to South Korea by a Japanese leader in more than a decade. He was received by officials ahead of an important summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol later in the day.
The East Asian neighbors, both major security allies of the United States, have long been at loggerheads over historical issues linked to Japan’s brutal 1910 to 1945 colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula, including sexual slavery and forced labor.
But President Yoon has made re-establishing ties with Japan a top priority for his administration, and was in Tokyo in March for a crucial fence-repairing trip.
PM Kishida said ahead of his departure on Sunday that the two leaders were working to restart their so-called “shuttle diplomacy” – halted for years during a bitter trade dispute involving the forced labor issue.
During their March summit, Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon agreed to end trade sanctions tit-for-tat, with Prime Minister Kishida inviting the South Korean leader to the G7 meeting in Hiroshima this month.
PM Kishida said he was looking forward to “an honest exchange of views” with President Yoon, “based on a relationship of trust”.
Following his arrival, Prime Minister Kishida will visit the Seoul National Cemetery – where South Korean war veterans are buried – to lay flowers. He will hold talks with President Yoon on Sunday afternoon.
According to local reports, President Yoon is likely to host a dinner party at the presidential residence – likely to serve Korean barbecue – and he may also cook for PM Kishida.