A bold step toward a cooperative future

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Korea in just 52 days since President Yoon Suk Yeol broke the ice between the two countries with his visit to Tokyo on March 16. The “shuttle diplomacy” has been revived for the first time in 12 years. In the past, the leaders of the two countries had regularly met to discuss pending issues.

Kishida originally had planned to return the visit in June or July, but Tokyo pulled up the schedule after Yoon’s state visit to the United States. Japan may have found the need to supplement the so-called Washington Declaration in which South Korea and the U.S. agreed to enhance nuclear deterrence against North Korea. Yoon and Kishida held security talks and expanded summit discussions for more than 100 minutes at the presidential office in Yongsan.

The two leaders held a joint press conference, vowing to share information related to North Korean missile movements among the U.S., Korea, and Japan and other trilateral security cooperation. The agreement suggests an extension of heightened Korea-U.S. deterrence capabilities by including Japan. The two leaders also agreed to deepen their cooperation on chip manufacturing and supply chains. Also, Korean experts will be invited to Japan to carry out an on-site inspection ahead of Japan’s radioactive water release from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The two governments must see through transparent and objective results through working-level discussions.

Kishida will be accompanying Yoon when he pays a visit to a memorial of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit to be held in Hiroshima next week in a symbolic gesture to overcome past issues. “My heart aches over the fact that many had extremely painful and sad experiences in harsh conditions at the time,” Kishida said referring to the thorny issue of the wartime forced labor.

Although the remorseful comment was “personal,” the fact that bilateral ties were in the recovering stage cannot be doubted. Kishida reiterated that Tokyo has been — and will stay — “unwavering” in succeeding declarations of past Cabinets. In the landmark 1988 joint declaration, Japan officially expressed a remorse for the horrendous damage and pain the country had inflicted on the Korean people during the colonial period.

Kishida who had treated Yoon with his favorite Japanese dish — omurice — during his visit to Tokyo was served with Korean barbecue this time at his Korean host’s residence in Hanam-dong in Seoul. The restoration of shuttle diplomacy after12 years and the recovery of trust must lead to government and private-sector exchanges for practical future cooperation. Bilateral relations can improve if Japan does not neglect the pains of victims of its past wrongdoings.