Chinanews.com, March 10th, according to Kyodo News, citing multiple diplomatic sources, the Japanese government intends to invite South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue to attend an enlarged meeting during the Group of Seven Summit (G7 Hiroshima Summit) in May, and has already launched coordination on this.
Data map: South Korean President Yin Xiyue.
In addition, the governments of Japan and South Korea also announced on the 9th that Yin Xiyue and his wife will visit Japan from the 16th to the 17th and have talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their stay.
This will be the first visit by a South Korean president to Japan in about four years, the last time being at the G20 summit in Osaka in June 2019.
The Japanese side will pay attention to whether the Korean side has effectively implemented the measures to resolve the labor lawsuits in World War II, and then make a final judgment on whether to invite Yin Xiyue to attend the enlarged meeting.
South Korea previously announced that a consortium under the Ministry of Administration and Security of the country would act as a third party to raise funds to pay compensation for Japanese victims of forced labor in World War II on behalf of the accused Japanese company.
Kishida told the media about the meeting with Yin Xiyue on the 9th at the official residence that "it will be an opportunity to work on strengthening bilateral relations."
Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
According to relevant sources, the South Korean side has a positive attitude towards the visit to Hiroshima.
Japan is the host country, so it has the right to invite South Korea to attend the enlarged meeting.
Kishida is considering expressing support for the settlement of World War II labor litigation issues during the talks with Yoon Seok-yue in Tokyo, which is expected to be held on the 16th of this month, and helping Yoon Seok-yue, who has been opposed in South Korea.
The two leaders will also restart the "shuttle diplomacy" of mutual visits every year for the first time in nearly 12 years.
The Japanese side is also considering holding a dinner when Yin Xiyue visits to create a friendly atmosphere.
The shuttle diplomacy between the leaders of Japan and South Korea was interrupted after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited Japan in December 2011.
South Korea's presidential office said the restart of shuttle diplomacy "will be an important milestone in the improvement and development of South Korea-Japan relations."
In consideration of the past colonial rule, it is emphasized that in order to overcome the unfortunate history and move forward to the future, it is hoped to expand security and economic cooperation and further activate exchanges between citizens.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroichi Matsuno explained at a press conference on the 9th that "South Korea is an important neighboring country (Japan) that should cooperate on various issues in the international community."
Regarding the summit meeting, Matsuno said, "Based on the friendly relations since the normalization of diplomatic relations, I look forward to the further development of Japan-South Korea relations."