Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told South Koreans on Sunday his heart hurts when he thinks of suffering and pain during Japanese colonial rule, in a nod to historical disputes that have soured relations between the two U.S. allies.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing after his summit with Yoon, Kishida stopped short of offering a new official apology for wrongs committed under the 1910-1945 occupation, but said that his government inherits the stance of earlier administrations, some of which have issued apologies.
A senior official at Yoon's office said Kishida's remarks had not been arranged in advance, and Yoon thanked him for "showing his sincere position even though there was no such request," and said it would be "greatly helpful for future cooperation." Under Yoon and Kishida's predecessors, relations between South Korea and Japan plunged to their lowest in decades. Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labour, among other abuses.
Yoon has signalled he doesn't believe Japan needs to "kneel" any more over what happened in the past, but South Korean officials were hoping that Kishida would make a gesture. Despite the lack of a new apology, Kishida's reaffirmation of reconciliation and the summit symbolism has value for the countries' relations, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
Kishida said they discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues such as North Korea. He said he had agreed to allow South Korean experts to inspect the planned release of water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has been controversial with Japan's neighbours concerned about possible environmental effects.
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