Japanese Prime Minister on Yoon Impeachment Vote: "Importance of Korea-Japan Relations Remains Unchanged"

Similar Positions Repeated Since the Emergency Martial Law Situation

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated on the 14th that "the importance of Korea-Japan relations remains unchanged" in relation to the impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Before the results of the impeachment vote against President Yoon were announced, Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters he met with that day that he was "watching with serious interest" regarding the second impeachment vote, according to Kyodo News.

The Japanese government has repeatedly expressed similar positions since the state of emergency. On the 11th, during a response at the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Ishiba said, "While I will not speculate on what will happen to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the government is making efforts to establish stable Korea-Japan relations regardless of which administration is in power."

However, on the 5th, he also showed a favorable view of President Yoon by saying, "President Yoon has pursued the belief that improving Korea-Japan relations is in South Korea's national interest, and such efforts by President Yoon should not be undermined."

Prime Minister Ishiba had previously named South Korea as the first country to visit for bilateral diplomacy after taking office. He had also planned a visit to South Korea in January next year, marking the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan normalization of diplomatic relations. However, due to the aftermath of the state of emergency, the visit plan has been postponed, and he is reportedly coordinating visits to other Asian countries such as Indonesia.

Yonhap News

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