Kishida “Exchanges with various leaders… We will confirm future-oriented Korea-Japan relations with Japan.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in San Francisco, USA, on the afternoon of the 15th (local time, morning of the 16th, Korean time) to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Prime Minister Kishida is expected to hold a summit meeting between Korea and Japan and China and Japan on the occasion of the APEC summit.
According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Jiji News, Prime Minister Kishida arrived in San Francisco, USA, on a Japanese government plane at 6 a.m. on the 16th, Korean time.
He plans to attend the APEC summit and urge the transition to a carbon-free society and the importance of fair and transparent trade and investment. He is also expected to point out the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the global economy and appeal for cooperation from each country to improve the situation.
In particular, the Sankei Shimbun reported, “The (Japanese) government announced on the 15th that the Japan-Korea (Korea-Japan) summit between Prime Minister Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol will be held in San Francisco, USA, on the 16th local time.”
In addition, NHK reported that Prime Minister Kishida is making final adjustments to hold a separate bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 16th (local time, 17th in Korea time).
The summit between Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon comes two months after a separate bilateral meeting was held at the G20 summit held in New Delhi, India on September 10.
President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida will attend a debate on advanced technology cooperation at Stanford University on the 17th.
Separately, Prime Minister Kishida will also attend the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) summit in which the United States, Japan, and Australia participate, on the 16th.
Before departing for the United States, Prime Minister Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister’s residence that he would interact with leaders of various countries through the APEC summit, adding, “I will participate together with President Yoon of Korea in a debate on cutting-edge technology at Stanford University.” “I think I want to confirm a future-oriented relationship between Japan and Korea,” he said.
He said with President Xi, “No decision has been made as of now regarding the Japan-China summit, but in any case, the basic policy of maintaining a constructive and stable relationship through mutual efforts to maintain such a relationship has not changed.” He added, “We will continue to communicate in various forms.”
If the China-Japan summit is realized, it will be the first in about a year since it was held at the APEC summit held in Bangkok, Thailand last year.
This meeting is attracting attention as it is held at a time when China-Japan relations have deteriorated.
There are many pending issues between the two countries, including the issue of the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name: Diaoyu Islands), an area of Sino-Japanese territorial disputes, the issue of discharging contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (treated water as Japanese government name) into the ocean, and the issue of detention of Japanese citizens in China. There is. China is even imposing an embargo on Japanese seafood in protest against the discharge of contaminated water into the ocean.
Prime Minister Kishida is expected to ask President Xi at the meeting to lift the embargo on Japanese seafood.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.