Kishida says his “heart hurts” for the suffering caused to Korea during the imperial era
May 7. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, and the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, have agreed on Sunday the visit of South Korean inspectors to the Fukushima nuclear power plant in light of Tokyo’s imminent plan to release contaminated water into the sea to cool the reactors. affected by the 2011 nuclear accident.
“I hope that significant measures are taken to meet people’s demands for objective verification based on science,” the South Korean president said at the joint press conference that he held with Kishida from Seoul, where the Japanese leader is in official visit.
In addition, Yoon has stressed that they jointly face the deterrence against North Korea and its missile threats, as well as the “so rapidly changing geopolitical landscape”, according to the South Korean newspaper ‘Korea Times’.
Yoon has also defended incorporating Japan into the Washington Declaration signed on April 26, through which the United States commits to include South Korea in the deterrence program against North Korea. The leaders of the three countries have met taking advantage of the G-7 meeting scheduled in the Japanese city of Hiroshima from May 19 to 21.
This meeting marks the return of “travel diplomacy” suspended for more than ten years due to bilateral tension. The leaders of both countries hope to recover alternate official trips to boost the relationship between the two countries.
“HEARTACHE”
Regarding the past of Japanese colonial rule over Korea, one of the main reasons for the distance between the two countries, Kishida has not apologized, as expected by broad South Korean political sectors, although he has expressed his regret for what happened.
“I personally feel heartache when I think of the people who endured terrible suffering in the difficult circumstances of the time,” said the Japanese president.
In any case, he has expressed that he assumes the responsibility of moving forward “like our ancestors who overcame so many difficult moments.”
Yoon stressed that since the meeting two months ago in Tokyo relations have improved “clearly” and has expressed that they now have the responsibility to reach an even better moment. “We have to give up the perception that we can only move forward when all the historical questions are resolved,” she argued.
In the face of South Korean demands, Tokyo usually refers to an apology from 1998 in which it apologized for the damage caused during colonial times and today has been no different. “Our position is that we reiterate the government’s previous position on the colonial past, including the 1998 declaration,” Kishida recalled.
Yoon has taken the opportunity to defend the agreement signed with Kishida on March 6 for compensation for forced labor imposed by Japanese imperialism during the colonial era of the first half of the 20th century.
The compensation will be made through a Seoul-backed public foundation, the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization, rather than direct payment from responsible Japanese companies, thus compensating more than a dozen Koreans who won legal battles.
The foundation, affiliated with the Interior Ministry, will collect “voluntary” donations from the private sector. The proposal does not satisfy the victims, but the two governments hope to be able to resolve this hindrance that has clouded bilateral relations between the two countries for decades.
Kishida is the first Japanese leader to visit Korea in twelve years. His visit has included a visit to the Seoul National Cemetery, where he has paid silent homage to South Korean “patriotic martyrs” with his wife, Yuko Kishida.
