Ministerial-level talks between Japan and South Korea have failed to mend acrimonious ties strained by the Takeshima territorial dispute, differing interpretations of wartime history and the safety of Japanese fishery products in view of the nuclear disaster.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that he and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Thursday "agreed to hold dialogue at various levels" to boost bilateral relations, but omitted any mention of arranging a first meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Park Geun-hye.
Abe and Park next month will attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bali, Indonesia, and the East Asia Summit in Brunei.