The recently sealed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, Washington's urging for better relations with Tokyo and a thaw in ties between Japan and China appear to be why South Korea's leader decided to meet with her Japanese counterpart at last.
President Park Geun-hye held her first formal talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday.
Park took office in February 2013 but rejected Abe's calls for a meeting, demanding that Japan first take steps to address the issue of Korean women and girls forced into Imperial Japanese military brothels.