Senior Japanese and South Korean lawmakers met Monday to discuss the agenda and schedule for a future meeting of lawmakers' groups from the two countries to promote bilateral ties.
Executives from the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and a South Korean group of parliamentarians held talks at a Seoul hotel. The agenda was also expected to cover the issue of Japan's proposal for the listing of facilities related to the Meiji Era industrial revolution as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Seoul has expressed opposition to the proposal, saying seven of the facilities included in the proposal employed 57,900 conscripted Korean laborers, in violation of their human rights.
Officials from the Japanese and South Korean governments are scheduled to hold talks on the issue in Tokyo on May 22.
Takeo Kawamura, secretary-general of the nonpartisan Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, said at the outset of the meeting Monday: "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's thought of adhering to the opinions of past prime ministers and wanting to advance Japan-South Korea relations is unwavering."
Kang Chang-il, Kawamura's counterpart in the South Korean lawmakers' group, said: "We hope to aim carefully toward the prosperity of both Korea and Japan."