Japan PM praises SKorea leader; biz groups vow to boost ties
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says hats off to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for “making a difficult decision and action” by overcoming the troubled history between the two countries, pledging to work with him toward better future relations
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said hats off to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for “making a difficult decision and action" by overcoming the troubled history between the two countries, pledging to work with him toward better future relations.
“I want to express my heartfelt respect to President Yoon for making a difficult decision and action by overcoming various (troubled) background and history between the neighbors Japan and South Korea," Kishida told a news conference Friday, one day after the two leaders held talks in their first formal summit hosted by Japan in 12 years.
The two sides seek to turn the page on the longstanding row that has divided the United States allies and form a united front driven by shared concerns over North Korea and Russia.
During Thursday's talks, the two leaders agreed to make the Japan-South Korea summit a start in resuming their “shuttle diplomacy” of regular visits, which had stalled since 2011. They also agreed to resume defense and security dialogues, and Yoon ensured full cooperation in military intelligence sharing, which Seoul had previously threatened to stop.
