Japanese PM says he sympathises with the victims of Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed sympathy for those who suffered under Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula during his meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul. However, he did not offer an official apology, which is desired by many South Koreans.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders in less than two months and marks the first exchange of visits between the leaders of the Asian neighbours in 12 years. Kishida’s visit was closely watched by many Koreans who hold deep resentment against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

After the meeting, Kishida said that his “heart ached” for the past suffering of Koreans and that he stood by Japan’s previous remorseful sentiments. However, he did not comment further on the issue. He also stated that he believes it is his responsibility as prime minister of Japan to cooperate with Yoon to forge stronger relations.

The meetings come in the backdrop of bitter ties that emanated from the 2018 court rulings in South Korea ordering two Japanese companies to financially compensate some of their former Korean employees for colonial-era forced labor. Japan refused to adhere to the rulings, arguing that all compensation issues were already settled when the two countries normalized ties in 1965.

The tensions led to the countries downgrading each other’s trade status and Seoul’s previous liberal government threatening to spike a military intelligence-sharing pact. Their strained ties complicated US efforts to build a stronger regional alliance to better cope with rising Chinese influence and North Korean nuclear threats.

President Biden is expected to meet with both Kishida and Yoon later this month. Yoon stated that “we should stay away from thinking that we must not make a step forward because our history issues aren’t settled completely.”

He also mentioned that 10 out of the 15 former forced laborers or their families involved in the 2018 rulings had accepted compensation under Seoul’s third-party reimbursement plan.