Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, spoke to South Korea’s president for the first time on Thursday, calling for both countries to repair their frayed ties and cooperate to counter any threat from North Korea.
Relations between the two U.S. allies have deteriorated sharply over the past year over war-time history and trade, in particular the issue of Korean laborers forced to work at Japanese firms during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule.
“I told President Moon that we cannot leave our current very difficult relations where they are now,” Suga told reporters after a telephone call with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in.
“Cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as between Japan, the United States and South Korea, is crucial to deal with North Korea and other issues.”
Japan would “continue to firmly seek appropriate action from South Korea,” he said. He did not elaborate.
South Korea on Thursday accused North Korea of firing at a South Korean government official and burning his body and urged the North to punish those responsible.
The man was a government official who disappeared Monday from a South Korean ship that was checking on potential unauthorized fishing near the inter-Korean sea boundary where several inter-Korean naval skirmishes and deadly attacks blamed on North Korea have occurred.
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