'Hangil Jeongsang Hoedam Boryu Gadak' Report... Japan Says "Nothing Decided" (Summary)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Japanese government is reportedly coordinating not to hold a South Korea-Japan summit meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled for the 28th to 29th, according to the Sankei Shimbun on the 15th, citing multiple Japanese government officials.

According to the report, the Japanese government judged that the conditions for a summit meeting were not met because South Korea has not presented a solution to lawsuits regarding compensation for forced labor during the Japanese colonial period and has conducted maritime surveys around Dokdo.

Regarding this, a person close to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Sankei that "South Korea has a history of not keeping promises until now, and Japan will not take proactive steps."

Accordingly, while there is a possibility that President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida may briefly meet or greet at the NATO summit, Sankei added that Japan plans not to prepare for a summit meeting unless South Korea presents a solution to the lawsuit issues.

However, concerning this matter, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular press conference held that day, "Nothing has been decided regarding the summit meeting. The government intends to maintain close communication with the South Korean side based on Japan's consistent position to restore Japan-South Korea relations to a healthy state."

President Yoon is scheduled to attend the NATO summit held in Madrid, Spain, as the first South Korean president to do so. Prime Minister Kishida is also strongly considering attending the same meeting, raising the possibility of a South Korea-Japan summit being held for the first time in two and a half years.

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