JAPANESE Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Monday to build stable bilateral ties amid a severe strategic environment, with both expressing hope to meet in person at an early date.
In their first telephone conversation since Lee took office last week, Ishiba and the South Korean leader also confirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation with their shared ally, the United States, according to the governments of Japan and South Korea.
Japan and South Korea see each other as partners who can jointly tackle global challenges after having seen a thaw in ties long marred by issues linked to wartime history and territory, the two governments said.
“I said that I’d like to further the relationship between Japan and South Korea based on the foundation that both governments have built,” Ishiba told reporters after the roughly 25-minute call.
“To develop bilateral relations in a stable fashion, I hope to communicate closely on such occasions as a face-toface meeting with President Lee Jae Myung,” he said.
South Korea’s presidential office also said that Lee and Ishiba agreed to build a “stronger and more mature Korea-Japan relationship based on mutual respect, trust and a responsible attitude.”
The earliest possible opportunity for an in-person summit meeting would come on the fringes of a three-day meeting of the Group of Seven nations to be held in Canada from Sunday.
Asked about the possibility of sitting down with Lee on the margins of the G7, Ishiba told reporters, “It’s something that needs coordination by both sides.”
Ishiba is expected to attend the summit as head of G7 member Japan, while Lee has accepted an invitation to attend the gathering as a non-member.
Lee, a liberal who has taken a firm stance on the bilateral spat over wartime labour and territory, said last week as president that he places importance on consistency in bilateral relations with Japan.
After taking office following the ouster of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over the abrupt imposition of martial law, Lee indicated he would uphold the previous administration’s approach to compensating South Korean wartime labourers.
Kyodo
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