Japan and South Korea had talks in China on Tuesday to discuss a further settlement for unrest situations over wartime labor and trade issues. Accordingly, the talks ended the 15-month hiatus in formal dialogue.
The meeting took place in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. Both leaders of the countries, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon Jae-in, along with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, attended the historic event.
Despite the event, the talks barely made any significant progress on the wartime labor compensation. However, both countries showed a willingness to conduct future talks to settle the matter.
Besides the wartime labor compensation, the leaders also discussed trade issues. Regarding the dispute, President Moon demanded Japan to drop the export controls on South Korea.
In response to the matter, Japan answered South Korea’s inquiry by easing some of its export controls. Reportedly, the affected materials are those to manufacture semiconductors and display panels.
Also Read: Japan to Tighten Regulations Over Tech Giants
Japan and South Korea to Settle the Historical and Regional Dispute
In the decades, the relationship between the countries is at its worst. While the existent trade dispute is a considerably grave matter, it is actually far beyond a trade issue.
Accordingly, what South Korea wants the most is that Japan compensates for its wartime crime, among them is pertinent to comfort women. Reportedly, it turned worse as Seoul’s supreme court ordered Japanese firms to compensate for some forced labor during the colonial rule.
In response to the demand, Tokyo argued that the problem is actually done under the 1965 treaty. For that reason, Prime Minister Abe urged South Korea to initiate the actions to fix the ties.
“South Korea should take responsibility and come up with measures to resolve the issue,” PM Abe said. “I asked that South Korea initiate steps to restore ties between Japan and South Korea to a healthy state.”
However, for the time being, the countries want to focus more on dealing with North Korea and its nuclearization. Direct foreign interventions did not happen prior to China’s involvement, but the US had indirectly intervened by helping secure the region.
Also Read: Asia Will Have Biggest GDP by 2020, WEF Says
