Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the Cambodian capital of Nom Pen on Sunday, a diplomatic gesture of great importance for the rapprochement between the two powers after months of estrangement.
The main topic of the meeting was North Korea, according to Japanese public television, NHK, and its «provocations». A trilateral summit held this Sunday between Kishida, Yoon and US President Joe Biden, who was also present at Nom Pen, also facilitated the rapprochement.
«Japan, the United States and South Korea should strengthen their cooperation and respond decisively» to North Korean «provocations,» Kishida said.
Yoon also stressed that trilateral cooperation is «a powerful strength for protecting universal values and achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.» «Our cooperation will be further strengthened by this meeting,» he stressed.
The South Korean leader explained after his meeting with Kishida that the two leaders agree on the need to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, including the issue of forced labor during Japan’s rule over Korea in the first third of the 20th century.
Yoon said that both he and Kishida recognize progress on the issue and have agreed to continue the dialogue to reach an early agreement. Kishida also hopes that today’s meeting will be a turning point in improving relations.
Kishida also met separately with Biden and both leaders mentioned the importance of improving deterrence and responsiveness based on the bilateral alliance.
The Japanese leader also denounced Chinese incursions into Japanese territory, specifically in the archipelago of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, controlled by Tokyo but claimed by both China and Taiwan.
