“Regarding the issue of “comfort women”, I believe we should not leave behind difficulties for future generations as we try to build a future-oriented cooperative relationship”, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the summit. He arrived on Saturday to meet with Park, and the two “exchanged frank opinions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula”, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the president’s office.
Advertisement
The meeting on Monday morning is a diplomatic breakthrough for Abe, who has sought talks with Park amid a push by the United States for Japan and South Korea to improve relations in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
On the surface, the gathering of the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan in Seoul seemed to have achieved their primary goal – restoring the three-way cooperation that had stalled dues to historical territorial disputes for more than three years. Japan, however, has claimed that the issue was resolved in a 1965 treaty that normalized diplomatic ties between Seoul and Tokyo. Park has been closely considering the possibility of South Korea joining, indicating in a summit with US President Barack Obama last month that Seoul was interested.
Advertisement
The three countries began holding annual summits seven years ago, but the souring of Japan’s relations with its two neighbours over issues dating back to World War II triggered a lengthy hiatus after the last one in 2012. Japan has apologized many times before, but many in South Korea see them as insufficient. “Keeping that in mind, we’ve agreed to accelerate talks for the earliest possible resolution”, said Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister. The reports didnt specify where they took place but said they involved aircraft and warships from Chinas southern Guangzhou Military Region and the South Sea Fleet, whose primary area of responsibility is the South China Sea. In their joint statement, the leaders of Asia’s three major economic powers said that they would work for regional peace and stability “in the spirit of marching to the future while looking squarely at the history”. “Taking advantage of the summit as an opportunity, China should re-read not only Japan, but also ourselves”. Japan has been the second largest and South Korea the third largest trading partner of China. Despite Japan’s support for the move, its defence minister, Gen Nakatani, has said Tokyo has no plans to join United States patrols near the disputed Spratly archipelago. Mr Abe recently angered China and South Korea when, amid a rise in right-wing sentiment in Japan, he attempted to water down the 1993 apology but later backed down. It’s a multilateral free trade pact involving China, South Korea, Japan, the 10 ASEAN member countries and India, Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, the three will continue to work towards a common free trade agreement and will pursue their goal to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
