Claims against Japanese companies by World War II-era Korean laborers are still overshadowing relations between Japan and South Korea despite progress made a year ago toward stabilizing ties.
Tokyo and Seoul resumed "shuttle diplomacy," or mutual visits by the two countries' leaders, following a summit between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on March 16 last year.
The improvement in relations between Tokyo and Seoul will "contribute to the strategic interest of Japan," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.