Tokyo, July 30 (IANS) South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday, during which the Japanese leader reaffirmed his intent to maintain and further develop good relations with Seoul.
Ishiba made the remarks during his 15-minute meeting with Cho at the prime minister’s residence earlier in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said during a press briefing.
“While maintaining and building on the favorable momentum in South Korea-Japan relations, I also intend to advance cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan,” Ishiba was quoted as saying.
Hayashi said he believes the two countries have been communicating closely since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office, describing South Korea and Japan as “important neighbors and partners” on many international issues.
Cho arrived in Tokyo on his first overseas trip since taking office last week. Cho is scheduled to fly directly to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday (US time).
Cho held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya the previous day, during which he highlighted South Korea’s efforts to bolster ties with “friendly nations” under the Lee government, signaling an intent to maintain the thaw in bilateral relations with Japan.
In a subsequent meeting with South Korean correspondents in Tokyo, the South Korean foreign minister said he has emphasised to Japanese officials the need to develop bilateral ties in a future-oriented manner, Yonhap news agency reported.
Cho said he is confident that the first step in South Korea-Japan relations has been successfully taken amid rapidly shifting international circumstances.
“Both sides shared an understanding of the necessity of South Korea-US-Japan cooperation, although further details need to be fleshed out,” the minister noted.
In Washington, Cho said he plans to discuss trilateral cooperation and propose detailed Seoul-Washington collaboration on technology, including artificial intelligence, as part of efforts to reach a tariff deal.
“I will work toward reaching a deal smoothly,” he said.
A senior foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there have been no “missteps or snags” in the ongoing tariff negotiations between Seoul and Washington, adding a final deal could be reached before the Aug. 1 deadline, when reciprocal US duties are set to take effect.
The official also noted that a summit between Lee and Ishiba could take place at any time, although the exact timing is uncertain due to political conditions in Japan.
–IANS
int/bpd/as