Seoul, Tokyo move to mend strained ties
High-level foreign ministry leaders meet in Tokyo to discuss fractious ties, but there is no sign that a leadership summit is on the cards
Japan and South Korea yesterday took a conciliatory step towards mending ties frayed by months of low-level squabbling with a courtesy call between foreign ministers.
South Korea's First Vice- Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun, who has been visiting Japan this week, met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at his office in Tokyo.
South Korea is an important partner and neighbour that shares fundamental values and interests. I hope to enhance bilateral relations by continuing our close communication
The pair were pictured shaking hands and smiling.
Their meeting came as the two US allies have struggled to end diplomatic discord over Japan's wartime aggression in Korea, a territorial dispute and a general animosity that soured relations over the last year.
The tension has obviated any meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, both of whom have only been in power for a few months.
"South Korea is an important partner and neighbour that shares fundamental values and interests. I hope to enhance bilateral relations by continuing our close communication," Kishida said at the start of the meeting.
Kim echoed Kishida's statement, saying: "South Korea and Japan are partners who should work together for the peace and stability of the region."