Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso Met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

KN

Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said, and the two countries are increasingly eager to improve ties after being severely worn down by labor disputes during the war had been.

The meeting between Aso, the vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoon came amid attempts by Tokyo and Seoul to find solutions to workers' compensation issues that have strained bilateral ties in recent years.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hopes Aso, an LDP heavyweight who  previously served as  deputy prime minister and finance minister, can pave the way for resolving  key issues standing between the two governments, pro-government sources said. Aso, who heads a bipartisan group of  lawmakers and business leaders. promoting Tokyo-Seoul ties, visited South Korea just days after a Halloween  incident in Seoul that left more than 150  dead, including two Japanese women. Kishida, who took office in October last year, is considering holding talks with Yoon on the sidelines of an international gathering, such as  the G20 summit  in Indonesia later this month.

Under Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae In, Tokyo-Seoul ties fell to their lowest level in years after a  South Korean court ruled in late 2018 ordering two major Japanese companies to pay damages to Korean plaintiffs over  forced labor issues oblige during World War II. The companies have refused to comply with the rulings, in line with the Japanese government's decision not to recognize them. Since then, local courts have  ordered the liquidation of some of the companies' assets in South Korea to  compensate the plaintiffs. 

 Tokyo has argued that all claims arising from its colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 were settled “completely and definitively” under a 1965 bilateral agreement under which Japan made grants and loans to South Korea on behalf of the cooperation granted by the economy. He urged South Korea to properly handle the issue, saying  there would be "serious consequences" to their relationship if the assets were sold, harming Japanese business interests.

In May, Yoon became South Korea's president and pledged to take a forward-looking approach to Japan, while Kishida  also stressed the need to build constructive relations with the country. Tokyo and Seoul are  discussing plans to set up a foundation, funded by contributions from South Korean companies, to pay war labor compensation  to plaintiffs on behalf of Japanese company defendants, diplomatic sources said. year, according to sources.

Another veteran LDP lawmaker is  scheduled to visit South Korea to lead a  group of multi-party lawmakers seeking friendly bilateral relations. Fukushiro Nukaga told reporters after  meeting  Kishida  Tuesday that he plans to meet  Yoon on Friday.