Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Seoul this weekend is expected to showcase that Japanese and South Korean relations are back on track.

What led to this was the March 16 summit between Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, which was a significant step toward normalizing Japanese-South Korean ties.

Relations between the two Asian neighbors had deteriorated to an unprecedented degree during the tenure of Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in, over the issue of "comfort women," women and girls who suffered under Japan’s military brothel system before and during World War II, and the wartime forced labor of Koreans.