Meeting with Yoon, Kishida: "We will closely communicate based on a consistent stance"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyeon-jin] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Spain to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, expressed his intention on the 29th (local time) to engage in close dialogue with President Yoon Seok-yeol to normalize South Korea-Japan relations.

According to Asahi Shimbun, Prime Minister Kishida said to reporters after the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit on the same day, "To restore the very difficult South Korea-Japan relationship to a sound one, I will communicate closely with President Yoon and the South Korean side based on Japan's consistent stance."

President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida met four times during the NATO summit, including at the welcome dinner, the AP4 (South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand) summit, the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit, and the NATO allies and member states summit. The two leaders first met at the welcome dinner hosted by King Felipe VI of Spain and talked for about four minutes.

Asahi Shimbun reported that initially, the South Korean side, with U.S. support, had considered holding a 30-minute South Korea-Japan summit during the NATO summit, and Foreign Minister Park Jin was expected to visit Japan in mid-month to prepare for the summit. A senior official from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly mentioned that "using an international conference lowers the hurdles," indicating the possibility of holding a South Korea-Japan summit, Asahi said.

However, the atmosphere reportedly changed rapidly after South Korea’s research vessel conducted marine surveys around Dokdo in May, which sparked opposition within Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party. Asahi analyzed that Japan’s stance that the forced labor issue (forced laborers during the Japanese colonial period) has already been resolved, and the low likelihood of South Korea proposing concrete measures to resolve it, also put the brakes on the South Korea-Japan summit.

Asahi pointed out that there was a difference in the statements from both countries regarding Prime Minister Kishida’s remarks during the brief conversation between the South Korea and Japan leaders ahead of the NATO summit. The South Korean side reported that Kishida said, "Let us work to develop South Korea-Japan relations into a more sound relationship," while the Japanese side announced that he said, "I hope efforts will be made to restore the very serious South Korea-Japan relationship to a sound one." Asahi added that the South Korean statement implies mutual efforts, whereas the Japanese statement suggests that Japan is demanding South Korea to first present a solution.

Asahi cited observations from South Korea-Japan government officials, stating that both sides are in a situation where concessions are difficult, but without concessions from either side, it seems unlikely that relations will be restored easily.