As the 50th anniversary of the signing of the treaty that normalized ties between Japan and South Korea — June 22 — draws near, both countries should seize all opportunities to improve bilateral ties, which have been in a chilly state for some time. There are signs of momentum building toward better ties. It must not be impeded.
On Tuesday, senior foreign and defense officials from the two countries held dialogue on security issues in Seoul for the first time since December 2009. A day earlier, Japan held ministerial-level meeting on water-related policies with South Korea and China in Gyeongju, a historic city in the southeastern part of South Korea. On Thursday, high-ranking foreign and defense officials from Japan, South Korea and the United States held separate meetings in Washington.
Following a tripartite meeting in Seoul in late March involving Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his counterparts from China and South Korea, Cabinet ministers in charge of tourism from the three countries met in Tokyo on Sunday, the first such meeting in four years. The South Korean minister, Kim Jong-deok, who attended the meeting, said, "Tourism exchanges are an important means to deepen friendship and contribute positively to political reconciliation."