Japan & S. Korea agree to keep talking in order to mend ties

Japan and South Korea have agreed on the importance of improving ties but made no apparent breakthrough on Thursday during the first high-level meeting since the neighbors’ relations nose-dived over trade and history disputes.

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon handed Japanese leader Shinzo Abe a letter from President Moon Jae-in during the talks, AP reports. Lee attended Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony on Tuesday before meeting with Abe.

An official in Seoul said Moon’s personal letter congratulated Japan on the new imperial era of Reiwa and wished for an improvement in bilateral ties.

Abe told Lee that cooperation is crucial as the two states “face North Korean nuclear and missile threats,” according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Abe said the currently strained relations should be mended, but Seoul should take the first step.