Tokyo’s at-times-tumultuous relationship with Seoul appears to be on solid footing — despite fears that ties could falter following the June election of South Korea President Lee Jae Myung.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya’s meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, on Tuesday highlighted this view, with the neighboring countries’ top diplomats agreeing in their first meeting to continue to work closely while sharing “serious concerns” over North Korean military cooperation with Russia.
“Under the current strategic environment, we believe that the importance of Japan-South Korea relations and Japan-South Korea-U.S. cooperation is increasing,” Iwaya said at the outset of the talks. “We would like to work together to develop stable Japan-South Korea relations.”
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