Kishida: "Korea-Japan Summit, Opportunity to Strengthen Bilateral Relations" (Comprehensive)

Yoon to Visit Japan for Summit Meeting on 16-17

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has indicated his intention to use the summit meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol as a stepping stone for the restoration of bilateral relations.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Photo by Yonhap News

At a press conference held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 9th, Prime Minister Kishida stated, "President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Japan on the 16th and 17th for a summit meeting and dinner," adding, "We will take this opportunity to work towards strengthening the relationship between the two countries." He also said, "We appreciate the South Korean government's announcement of measures regarding the issue of former Korean Peninsula laborers (the Japanese term for forced laborers during Japanese colonial rule)."

Attention is also focused on whether the summit will lead to the resumption of regular 'shuttle diplomacy' between the two leaders, involving reciprocal visits. At a regular press conference on the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, said, "South Korea is an important neighbor cooperating on various challenges facing the international community," and added, "Through this visit, we hope that Japan-South Korea relations will further develop based on the friendly cooperative relationship established since the normalization of diplomatic relations."

Japan's Kyodo News, citing diplomatic sources, also reported that "the Japanese government has begun coordinating to invite President Yoon to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May." It further stated, "During President Yoon's stay in Japan, Prime Minister Kishida will hold talks with him and make a final judgment after observing whether South Korea steadily implements solutions to the forced labor lawsuit issue."

Japan, as the G7 chair country this year, is reportedly considering inviting President Yoon to the expanded meeting held during the G7 summit from May 19 to 21.