On the 18th, Foreign Minister Hayashi met with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, who visited Japan for the first time since taking office.
It seems that opinions were exchanged on issues between the two countries, such as the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park visited Japan for the first time after taking office on the afternoon of the 18th.
The Yoon Seok-you administration has shown a willingness to improve with Japan, and the Korean Foreign Minister's visit to Japan is the first in about three years since the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Nagoya in 2019.
Foreign Minister Park headed to the Iikura Public Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and had a meeting with Foreign Minister Hayashi for about an hour after 4 pm.
Currently, the two foreign ministers are having a meeting while having dinner together.
The content has not been clarified yet, but it seems that opinions were exchanged on the issues concerning "recruitment" during the Pacific War and the comfort women issue.
In addition, it is believed that the South Korean side expressed condolences to former Prime Minister Abe, who died after being shot by a gun during the support speech for the Upper House election.
This foreign ministers' meeting was held in the midst of deteriorating relations between Japan and South Korea until it was said to be the worst after the war.
The Japanese government has stated that appropriate measures taken by the South Korean side are indispensable for resolving concerns, and the focus is on whether progress can be made to improve relations.
Foreign Minister Park is planning to stay in Japan until the 20th, and during his stay, he has indicated his intention to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Kishida, and adjustments are continuing.
"Worst after the war" Japan-South Korea relations
Japan-South Korea relations have deteriorated to the point of being said to be the worst after the war.
The trigger was the response of the former administration of Moon Jae-in (Moon Jae-in).
One was a judicial decision on the issue of "recruitment" during the Pacific War.
In October 2018, the Korean Supreme Court ordered a Japanese company to compensate.
The Mun administration has also taken a stance of respecting this, and the procedures for "monetizing" the assets of Japanese companies in South Korea have been advanced.
On the other hand, the Japanese government has settled the issue of "recruitment" in the 1965 Japan-Korea Claims Agreement, and the Korean side argued that the response was a violation of international law, and the conflict deepened.
The comfort women issue has also become a source of fire.
During the Park Geun-hye administration, it was confirmed that the Japanese government would contribute 1 billion yen in 2015 to establish a foundation to support former comfort women, and the solution was "finally and irreversibly". Agreed on.
However, the Mun administration, which followed the Park administration, criticized the agreement and unilaterally announced the dissolution of the Foundation in November 2018, making the conflict decisive.
President Yun Sung-nyul, who took office in May, is eager to improve Japan-South Korea relations.
While the Japanese government says that cooperation with South Korea is important due to issues such as the North Korean issue, it is essential to keep international promises, and it is eager to identify the response of the South Korean side and seek to improve relations.
In particular, if "monetization" is carried out on the issue of "recruitment," Japan-South Korea relations will fall into a serious situation, and we are asking the South Korean side to present a solution.