Japanese Government: "Korea-Japan Leaders Must Develop Bilateral Relations Through Candid Dialogue"

The Japanese government announced on the 15th that it hopes the Korea-Japan summit to be held in Tokyo on the 16th will serve as an opportunity to advance bilateral relations.

At a press conference on the same day, Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, said, "I hope that frank dialogue between the Korea-Japan leaders will take place and that the Korea-Japan relationship will further develop based on the friendly and cooperative relations since the normalization of diplomatic ties."

Secretary Matsuno said, "It is difficult to predict the outcome of the Korea-Japan summit at this point," but expressed expectations for strengthened cooperation between the two countries.

He evaluated, "South Korea is an important neighboring country with which we must cooperate to address various challenges in the international community," adding, "Since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, close communication has been conducted at various levels, including between the leaders of the two countries." He continued, "Considering the current security environment, we intend to strengthen strategic cooperation between Korea and Japan, as well as among Korea, the U.S., and Japan," emphasizing, "We will cooperate with South Korea to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific."

President Yoon will visit Japan on the 16th and 17th to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.