Masatoshi Muto, Japan's ambassador to South Korea when bilateral tensions spiked over the Takeshima territorial dispute this summer, is calling for a "mature relationship between adults" in which bilateral cooperation can be advanced where possible.
To help improve the frayed ties between the two countries, the former ambassador said in a recent interview that South Koreans should be better informed of the cooperation Japan has extended to it since the 1965 normalization of diplomatic relations.
Relations worsened sharply following South Korean President Lee Myung Bak's trip in August to the pair of islets in the Sea of Japan controlled by South Korea and claimed by Japan, the first such visit by a South Korean leader.