Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru refrained from commenting directly on the emergency martial law situation in Korea but highlighted the efforts made by President Yoon Seok-yeol to improve Korea-Japan relations.
On the 5th, attending the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Prime Minister Ishiba responded to questions about the impact of the emergency martial law situation in Korea on Korea-Japan relations by stating, "President Yoon Seok-yeol has pursued the improvement of Korea-Japan relations with the belief that it is in Korea's national interest," adding, "We must not undermine President Yoon's efforts."
Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, saying, "I want to celebrate the 60th anniversary in Japan and reflect on its significance," and "I believe that Korea, as the other country, should also celebrate this milestone." However, he added, "It is difficult to predict Korea's situation going forward, so I will refrain from further comments."
Other Japanese cabinet officials also remained cautious about commenting on the martial law situation. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa, the Japanese government spokesperson, was asked at a morning press conference about the impact of the Korean opposition party's push for President Yoon's impeachment on shuttle diplomacy between the two leaders. He replied, "We refrain from commenting on the internal affairs of another country (Korea)," but added, "The Japanese government continues to pay special and serious attention to the domestic developments in Korea and is closely monitoring the situation." He also confirmed the importance of Korea-Japan relations for Japan by stating, "The two countries are important neighbors who must cooperate as partners on various international issues."
Prime Minister Ishiba also spoke about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Regarding North Korea's constitutional amendment designating South Korea as an 'enemy state' and the policy shift including the destruction of inter-Korean connecting roads and railways, he assessed the impact on regional security by saying, "There is concern that the security situation may fundamentally change," and "While I will not make definitive statements, the assumptions that have existed until now may change in the future."
Earlier, Japanese media including the Yomiuri Shimbun had raised the possibility that President Yoon's declaration of martial law, which was lifted after six hours, could disrupt Prime Minister Ishiba's scheduled visit to Korea next month. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba dismissed this by stating the day before, "Nothing concrete has been decided yet regarding the visit to Korea."
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