The Japan government announced that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is scheduled to visit Japan on Thursday of next week to hold talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yoon’s visit to Japan comes after South Korea announced its plans to settle a dispute with Tokyo over wartime labor compensation on Monday.
As part of the plan, a foundation supported by the South Korean government will be responsible for paying compensation to Korean plaintiffs who have won lawsuits regarding alleged forced labor during Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Rather than the Japanese companies who were sued, the foundation will be responsible for the payments.
The plan proposed by South Korea has been praised by Kishida, who believes it will be beneficial in restoring “healthy” relations between Tokyo and Seoul. These ties have been strained during the previous administration of President Moon Jae In.
Bilateral relations between Tokyo and Seoul had deteriorated significantly after South Korea’s highest court ruled in 2018 that two Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp., had to provide compensation to the plaintiffs. Kishida welcomed the plan presented by South Korea and is optimistic that it can help repair the damaged relationship
President Yoon has been focusing on improving ties with Japan since taking office last year. He has also strengthened military cooperation with the United States to address growing security threats from North Korea. Kishida believes that the plan presented by South Korea will help to restore “healthy” relations between Tokyo and Seoul, which have been strained due to the previous administration’s actions.While Kishida and Yoon have been keen to strengthen ties between their nations, the two leaders last met in November at the ASEAN leaders summit in Cambodia. However, Yoon’s upcoming visit to Japan will mark his first visit to the country since taking office last year.