Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye praised exchange student Lee Su-hyon, who died 12 years ago Thursday attempting to save a Japanese man who had fallen off a Tokyo train platform onto the tracks.
It's the first time the leaders of the two nations, at odds over a group of islets in the Sea of Japan, have offered such messages.
Abe expressed his sincere wish that Lee's spirit of altruism and courage will continue to be passed down to future generations.