"Kishida of Japan Likely to Express Commitment to Historical Awareness Succession at Korea-Japan Summit"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to express his intention to uphold the stance of successive Japanese cabinets regarding historical awareness during the Japan-South Korea summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 7th, Kyodo News reported on the 2nd.

Kyodo News reported that Prime Minister Kishida will mention the 1998 Japan-South Korea Joint Declaration (Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration) in relation to the issue of compensation for forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period, expressing this position.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Photo by Yonhap News]

After holding a summit with President Yoon, who visited Tokyo on March 16, Prime Minister Kishida said, "The Japanese government confirmed that it comprehensively inherits the stance of successive cabinets regarding historical awareness, including the Japan-South Korea Joint Declaration announced in October 1998."

The phrase "inheriting the historical awareness of successive cabinets" was used by Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi when the South Korean government announced a solution to the forced labor issue on March 6.

Kyodo News analyzed this as "an intention to support the solution to the forced labor compensation issue promoted by the South Korean government."