Kishida is the first Japanese leader to visit South Korea in 12 years due to historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko attended a welcome ceremony in Seoul ahead of a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday (May 7).
Yoon and his wife Kim Keun-hee officially greeted the Kishidas at a ceremony held in front of the presidential offices.
Kishida’s visit, the first by a Japanese leader to Seoul in 12 years, returns the trip Yoon made to Tokyo in March, where they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.
Soon before departing, Kishida told reporters he hoped to have “an open discussion based on a relationship of trust” with Yoon, without elaborating on specific issues.
Relations between the two North Asian countries have been strained over disputes dating back to Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labor, among other abuses.
