Kishida Japanese Prime Minister "Requested South Korea for Appropriate Response to Forced Labor and Comfort Women Lawsuits" (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon Jae-in's First Call: "Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation on North Korea Issues Among Korea-Japan and Korea-US-Japan"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on the 15th that during his first call with President Moon Jae-in, he requested an appropriate response from the Korean side regarding lawsuits related to forced labor during the Japanese colonial period and the issue of Japanese military comfort women.

According to Kyodo News, Prime Minister Kishida mentioned during the call with President Moon that Korea-Japan relations are in a very difficult situation due to the forced labor and comfort women issues. According to the Japanese government, the call between the Korea-Japan leaders lasted about 35 minutes.

Prime Minister Kishida also stated that he and President Moon reached an agreement to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan, and the United States in responding to North Korean issues. He requested Korea's cooperation in resolving the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea, and reported that President Moon responded by supporting Japan's position on this matter. The Japanese government also conveyed that both countries agreed to cooperate on COVID-19 response efforts.

According to major foreign media, Prime Minister Kishida added that there are currently no plans for a summit meeting with President Moon.

This conversation between the Korea-Japan leaders came about four months after President Moon and then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga exchanged greetings at the G7 summit held in the UK last June. This is the first time Prime Minister Kishida has spoken with President Moon since taking office.

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