The Japanese government stated on the 25th that it will "carefully observe South Korea's stance" regarding the reinstatement of South Korea to the "white list" (preferential export screening countries).
According to Kyodo News, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a press conference held after the Cabinet meeting on the same day that "no conclusion has been reached yet" regarding the re-designation of South Korea as a preferential country in export procedures, adding, "We will make a responsible decision."
Minister Nishimura has maintained a cautious attitude toward restoring South Korea to the white list even after the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month.
Previously, Japan excluded South Korea from the white list in 2019 in response to the South Korean Supreme Court's ruling on forced labor compensation. In retaliation, South Korea also removed Japan from its white list.
After more than three years, South Korea published a notice in the official gazette yesterday to include Japan back on its white list for strategic goods export and import. As a result, when Korean companies apply to export strategic goods to Japan, the screening period will be shortened from the previous 15 days to 5 days, and the number of individual export permit application documents will be reduced from five to three.
Minister Nishimura expressed concerns about South Korea's response to the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean and the import restrictions on some Japanese food products. He said, "We need to proceed in parallel with resolving these concerns."
Meanwhile, the governments of South Korea and Japan held a director-general level "Export Control Policy Dialogue" in Tokyo over two days until today.
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