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Japan PM Kishida visits Seoul to forge closer ties amid North Korea threats

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Seoul to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

FILE PHOTO: Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida address a joint news conference with Kenyan President William Ruto during his official visit at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

TOKYO/SEOUL 鈥 Japan鈥檚 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits Seoul on Sunday to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, facing a skeptical public there as the leaders seek deeper ties amid nuclear threats from North Korea and China鈥檚 increasing assertiveness.

Kishida鈥檚 bilateral visit, the first by a Japanese leader to Seoul in 12 years, returns the trip Yoon made to Tokyo in March, where they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.

Yoon is facing criticism at home that he has given more than he鈥檚 received in his efforts to improve relations with Japan, including by proposing that South Korean businesses 鈥 not Japanese companies as ordered by a court 鈥 compensate victims of wartime labor during Japan鈥檚 1910-1945 colonial occupation.

South Korean officials are hopeful that Kishida will make some kind of gesture in return and offer some political support, although few observers expect any further formal apology for historical wrongs. Yoon himself has signaled he doesn鈥檛 believe that is necessary.

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The focus of the summit instead will likely revolve around security cooperation in the face of North Korea鈥檚 nuclear threats, said Shin-wha Lee, a professor of international relations at Seoul-based Korea University.

鈥淲ithin the framework of the 鈥榃ashington Declaration,鈥 which outlines plans to strengthen extended deterrence, Korea will explore ways to enhance the collaborative efforts with Japan,鈥 she added.

鈥淲e have a lot of opportunities to cooperate when it comes to addressing the threat of North Korea鈥 and securing a free and open Indo-Pacific, a Japanese foreign ministry official said.

Tensions have simmered between Washington and Beijing as China becomes more assertive in its territorial claims over Taiwan and in the South China Sea, while the United States shores up alliances across the Asia-Pacific.

READ: South Korea and Japan hail spring thaw amid missiles and weight of history

But the historical differences between South Korea and Japan also threaten to cast a shadow over the blossoming ties between its two leaders.

The majority of South Koreans believe Japan hasn鈥檛 apologized sufficiently for atrocities during Japan鈥檚 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, Lee said. 鈥淭hey think that Prime Minister Kishida should show sincerity during his visit to South Korea, such as mentioning historical issues and expressing apologies,鈥 she added.

On the other hand, Japan is taking it slow, said Daniel Russel, former United States assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific.

鈥淜ishida is being careful not to go faster than his domestic politics permit,鈥 he added, pointing to the unilateral abrogation by the previous Korean government of a settlement on 鈥榗omfort women鈥 as a source of Japan鈥檚 wariness.

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In 2015, South Korea and Japan reached a settlement under which Tokyo issued an official apology to 鈥渃omfort women鈥 who say they were enslaved in wartime brothels, and provided 1 billion yen ($9.23 million) to a fund to help the victims.

But then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in decided to dissolve the fund in 2018, effectively scrapping the agreement as he said it did not do enough to consider victims鈥 concerns.

Still, South Korea is an 鈥渋mportant neighbor that we must cooperate with on various global issues,鈥 Japan鈥檚 foreign ministry has said.

Kishida has invited Yoon to the Group of Seven summit set for later this month in Japan and will hold trilateral talks with the United States on the sidelines.

Kishida will also urge for trilateral talks with China as early as this year, Kyodo reported on Friday, citing multiple unnamed diplomatic sources.

READ: South Korea and Japan to drop trade dispute as security concerns trump history

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