"Coordination of Korea-Japan Summit During Tokyo Olympics... No Concessions on Historical Issues Expected"

Japan aims to end with a short meeting... "Expecting about 15 minutes"
"No intention to invite by conceding historical issues," draws a line

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 11th, the governments of South Korea and Japan are coordinating a plan for President Moon Jae-in to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga if he visits Japan in conjunction with the Tokyo Olympics.

According to Nikkei's report, the South Korean government requested a summit if President Moon attends the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on the 23rd, and the Japanese government is said to have conveyed its acceptance of holding the talks to the Korean side. Nikkei also reported, "When President Moon visits Japan, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is expected to accompany him, and the governments of both countries are coordinating a schedule for Minister Chung to visit Japan again around August to hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi."

However, regarding bilateral issues such as historical matters, the Japanese side has no intention of making concessions, and the meeting time is expected to be short. Kyodo News reported that since Prime Minister Suga has to meet important figures from various countries, a source from the Japanese Prime Minister's Office said, "Including President Moon, the meeting time will basically be about 15 minutes per person." South Korea desires a meeting of about one hour, but Japan plans to conclude with a short meeting, Kyodo News reported.

Kyodo News quoted a senior official from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying, "We will quietly respond, viewing him as one of the heads of state attending the Olympic opening ceremony. We do not think it would be good if President Moon comes at the cost of making concessions on historical issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.