The foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea, meeting in Seoul last week, agreed that they would continue efforts toward a trilateral summit to be held "at the earliest convenient time for the three countries."

Despite the agreement, it would be unrealistic to think the relationship between Japan, on the one hand, and China and South Korea, on the other, will quickly thaw in the near future.

The foreign ministers' meeting itself was held for the first time in three years. The last trilateral summit among the top leaders of Japan, China and South Korea was held in May 2012. Differences linger between Japan and the two countries over wartime history and territorial rows.