Will the Korea-Japan Summit Take Place? "President Moon to Visit Japan Coinciding with Tokyo Olympics"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been reported that President Moon Jae-in is coordinating a plan to visit Japan to hold a Korea-Japan summit meeting in line with the Tokyo Olympics opening on the 23rd of next month.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 15th, "The Korean side first inquired about President Moon's visit to Japan."

The Korean side conveyed President Moon's intention to the Japanese side through diplomatic channels, saying, "We would like to visit (Japan) as a return for Pyeongchang." During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Korea and held a bilateral meeting with President Moon.

If this meeting takes place, it will be the first face-to-face summit between President Moon and Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide since the launch of the Suga Cabinet in September last year. However, the Japanese government is cautious about holding the meeting. The Yomiuri Shimbun said, "This is because the Korean side is unlikely to propose a solution to the forced labor and comfort women lawsuit issues, which are the causes of the deterioration in Korea-Japan relations."

President Moon and Prime Minister Suga originally planned to hold a meeting during the G7 summit held in the UK from the 11th to the 13th, but it was canceled unilaterally by the Japanese government.

After finishing the meeting the day before and leaving the UK, President Moon posted on SNS, "The first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Suga was a precious time that could be a new beginning in Korea-Japan relations," but also expressed regret that "it was unfortunate that it did not lead to a summit meeting."