By Kang Seung-woo
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is not likely to be present at President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's May 10 inauguration ceremony, according to a Japanese media outlet, Friday.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, the Japanese government concluded that it is premature for Kishida to travel to Korea as pending bilateral issues such as wartime forced labor and sex slavery still remain a sticking point to improving the soured ties between the two countries. The report cited multiple government officials.
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| Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / AFP-Yonhap |
It added that the Japanese government was instead considering sending its Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The report comes as the incoming Korean president has been working to improve bilateral relations, which some believe have sunk to their lowest level in decades, due to the historical issues.
Earlier this week, Yoon sent a policy consultation delegation to Tokyo, which met with Kishida and agreed to seek better ties. During their meeting, the delegates asked if the Japanese premier will attend the inauguration ceremony, according to Park Joo-sun, the chief of the inauguration preparatory committee.
Following the meeting, National Assembly Vice Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk, who headed the seven-member delegation, said that whether Kishida will attend is up to the Japanese government, adding that the government will warmly welcome and host him if he decides to attend the event.
Citing a Japanese government official, the report also said that if Kishida attends and then the Korean side changes its attitude, this would undoubtedly increase domestic criticism of the prime minister.
Following Seoul's Supreme Court ruling ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of wartime forced labor, the Japanese government has been imposing tighter export curbs on three materials exported to Korea, which are used to make smartphone chips and displays, since July 2019. On Monday, the delegation met with Japan's Trade Minister Koichi Hagiuda and discussed the issue.
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