Education minister Hakubun Shimomura met Sunday with his South Korean counterpart, Hwang Woo-yea, for the first talks between the two countries' education chiefs in 15 years.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, they agreed in the South Korean port city of Busan to establish a commendation system for individuals and groups that contribute to education exchanges between the two countries.
Hwang proposed to hold such ministerial talks on a regular basis, and Shimomura agreed. They also agreed to enhance the framework of the Campus Asia program to promote exchanges between universities in Japan, South Korea and China.
Shimomura also attended an education exchange summit Sunday commemorating the anniversary.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hwang said at the summit that with regard to differences over Korean and Japanese history, "in order not to repeat past tragedies, there is a need (for the two countries) to accept the facts of history fairly," indicating the importance of history education.