Kishida and Yoon hail improved ties as ‘shuttle diplomacy’ resumes

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his “heart aches” over Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, speaking after a meeting Sunday with South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul — the first such bilateral visit by a Japanese leader in more than 12 years — with the two hailing the speed of progress in their countries’ improving relationship.

The visit, which came on the heels of a March trip to Tokyo by Yoon, was largely focused on maintaining momentum for bettering ties after the relationship plummeted in 2018 to its lowest point in years over wartime history and other issues.

But it also saw the two leaders agree on a spate of issues, including the dispatch of South Korean experts to Japan on May 23 to conduct a scientific analysis as a part of “meaningful steps” to help the South Korean public better grasp Tokyo’s plan to release treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Most importantly for the relationship, though, Kishida stressed Japan’s “unwavering” commitment to standing by past government stances on the two neighbors’ shared history, including the 1998 joint declaration that expressed “deep remorse and heartfelt apology” for Japan’s wartime aggression.

“This position will remain unchanged in the future,” Kishida told a joint news conference with Yoon.

“My heart aches as many people went through very difficult and sad experiences in the harsh environment at that time,” he added.

Kishida’s remarks could give Yoon space to maneuver amid opposition to a closer relationship with Japan without a fresh apology, especially as the two look to bolster security ties in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea.

“The international situation surrounding us is making cooperation between Japan and South Korea increasingly essential,” Kishida said, with the two leaders calling North Korea “a serious threat to the peace and security not only of South Korea and Japan, but the entire world.”

Although then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Yoon’s predecessor, President Moon Jae-in, before the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Kishida’s two-day trip was the first concrete signal that “shuttle diplomacy” — where the two countries’ leaders hold regular mutual visits — has been re-established.

The practice had been effectively halted since then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda traveled to Seoul in October 2011.

“It took 12 years for shuttle diplomacy to resume, but it took less than two months for the two of us to travel back and forth,” Yoon said before the meeting. “I believe that this is confirmation that the newly restarted South Korea-Japan relationship is picking up speed and continuing to move forward.”

While Yoon said that ties are “clearly showing a real improvement,” he also appeared to play down the odds of quickly resolving some of the relationship’s more complex issues.

“I think we should get rid of the perception that South Korea and Japan cannot take even a single step forward unless historical issues are completely settled,” he said, adding that while creating change is difficult at the start, “once it is created, it often becomes a trend.”

“I believe that the current trend in South Korea-Japan relations is just such a case,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Kishida got his visit off to a quick start, heading directly from the airport to Seoul National Cemetery, where South Korean veterans, four former presidents and independence activists are buried, to offer flowers and pay his respects.

It was not the first visit by a Japanese leader — Abe went in 2006 during his first stint in office — but the move by Kishida was seen as symbolic after years of acrimony between Tokyo and Seoul over history, including wartime labor, that had pushed the relationship to new lows.

Observers had said ahead of the meeting that the ball was now in Kishida’s court to help improve relations, especially after Yoon made the trek to Tokyo in March, with the two sides hailing their summit as a breakthrough step toward improving tattered ties.

Both Tokyo and Seoul have in recent weeks followed through on pledges made at that meeting, with Japan saying late last month that it would return South Korea to a preferred trade partner list after Seoul made a similar move.

In March, Japan also eased export controls on three key semiconductor manufacturing materials bound for South Korea in response to Seoul retracting its complaint with the World Trade Organization over the controls.

On the security front, South Korea also said it would work to “normalize” the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) intelligence-sharing pact with Japan amid nuclear-armed North Korea’s repeated missile launches.

Although no joint statement was released after Sunday’s meeting, the two leaders did agree to continue to work together on security issues related to North Korea, with Yoon even saying that he did not rule out Japan joining a recently agreed to nuclear-planning framework with the U.S.

Yoon, who became president in May last year, has sought to bury the hatchet with Japan in a bold move to improve ties, visiting Tokyo in March just 10 days after he unveiled a proposed solution to the wartime labor issue. The plan envisions that a foundation backed by the South Korean government will pay compensation to plaintiffs who won lawsuits over their alleged forced labor, instead of the Japanese firms that have been sued.

The move — seen as a way of moving ties forward without clashing with Japan’s stance that all such claims were settled under a 1965 agreement that normalized bilateral ties — has stoked anger among some segments of South Korea, including the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and its supporters, putting Yoon on the defensive.

Kishida’s visit comes as North Korea continues to refine its nuclear capabilities, including missiles capable of delivering atomic bombs to South Korea, Japan and even the entire United States.

Starting last year, the North began conducting missile and weapons tests at an unprecedented clip that continues to this day, helping nudge South Korea and Japan closer in the security realm and giving them common ground on which to base ties and ultimately help to resolve their relationship’s more intractable issues.

The Japanese leader said last week that his visit would be an opportunity “to add momentum” to revitalizing shuttle diplomacy. For Kishida, the resumption of shuttle diplomacy and improving ties with Seoul are the latest in a series of diplomatic wins in recent months that have buoyed his approval rating.

One recent poll by the Nikkei business daily even put Kishida’s support rate above 50% for the first time in eight months, fueling speculation he could call a snap election to shore up his mandate. The prime minister does not need to call a general election until 2025.

But Kishida will also have to ameliorate concerns within the conservative wing of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has taken a hard line on dealings with South Korea. Those LDP members have viewed Kishida’s attempt at rapprochement with unease, fearing he could offer up further concessions despite Seoul’s history of backtracking on deals, including a 2015 “comfort women” agreement that was intended to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the issue.

The term “comfort women” is a euphemism for those who suffered under Japan’s military brothel system before and during World War II.

The pair were scheduled to have dinner later Sunday evening. On Monday, Kishida will greet members of the Japan-South Korea parliamentary league followed by a meeting with South Korean business and trade representatives.

While Kishida’s trip was seen as a key moment in improving ties, it won’t be his only chance to address the issues this month, as the prime minister has invited Yoon to join the Group of Seven summit as a guest in Hiroshima from May 19-21, where the two are scheduled to join U.S. President Joe Biden for a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the G7 meeting.

Kishida said Sunday that the two leaders would use the occasion to visit together a memorial to Korean victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing, located in the Peace Memorial Park in the city.