Japan: "Aso Taro's 'Visit to Korea' Not as Kishida's Special Envoy... Did Not Carry a Letter"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese government announced that Taro Aso, Deputy President of the Liberal Democratic Party, who will visit Korea on the 2nd and 3rd, is not coming as a special envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and will not carry a letter of condolence.

According to NHK and other broadcasts, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said this at a regular press conference on the 2nd in response to related questions.

Minister Matsuno stated that Deputy President Aso is visiting Korea as the chairman of the Japan-Korea Cooperation Committee, composed of political and business figures, to hold talks with the Korean partner, the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee, and evaluated that "inter-parliamentary exchanges and private exchanges between Korea and Japan are meaningful as they support bilateral relations."

Regarding questions about a Korea-Japan summit, Minister Matsuno replied, "The Japanese government intends to continue close communication with the Korean government to restore and develop Korea-Japan relations into a sound relationship based on the foundation of friendly and cooperative relations built since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1965, but at this point, nothing has been decided regarding a Korea-Japan summit."

Deputy President Aso will visit the Yongsan Presidential Office building late in the afternoon on the same day to pay a courtesy call on President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Kyodo News, reporting on Deputy President Aso's departure, predicted that "there is a possibility of exchanging opinions on the issue of former forced laborers (the Japanese term for Koreans forcibly mobilized during the Japanese colonial period) based on Prime Minister Kishida's intentions during the meeting with President Yoon." It also reported that he is expected to express condolences regarding the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy.

Kyodo News evaluated that "it is extremely unusual for a senior party member like Deputy President Aso to visit Korea and take on a role in resolving intergovernmental issues."