Japan's prime minister expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced labourers during Japan's colonial rule, as he and his South Korean counterpart on Sunday renewed resolve to overcome historical grievances and strengthen cooperation in the face of shared challenges such as North Korea's nuclear program.
Comments by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol -- their second meeting in less than two months -- were closely watched in South Korea, where many still harbor strong resentment against Japan's 1910-45 colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
He said he believes "it is my responsibility as prime minister of Japan to cooperate with" Yoon to forge stronger relations. The wrangling led to the countries downgrading each other's trade status and Seoul's previous liberal government threatening to spike a military intelligence-sharing pact. Their strained ties complicated U.S. efforts to build a stronger regional alliance to better cope with rising Chinese influence and North Korean nuclear threats.
"We should stay away from a thinking that we must not make a step forward because our history issues aren't settled completely," Yoon said Sunday. He said that 10 out of the 15 former forced labourers or their families involved in the 2018 rulings had accepted compensation under Seoul's third-party reimbursement plan.
Japanese governments have expressed remorse or apologies over the colonial period numerous times. But some Japanese officials and politicians have occasionally made comments that have been accused of whitewashing Tokyo's wartime aggressions, prompting Seoul to urge Tokyo to make new, more sincere apologies.
Yoon said talks among Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are underway to implement their earlier agreement on a faster exchange of information on North Korean missile tests. Yoon said he and Kishida reaffirmed that North Korea's nuclear and missile programs pose a grave threat to the two countries and the rest of the world.
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