Japanese PM willing to visit Korea: report

President Yoon Suk Yeol, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit at the latter's office in Tokyo, Japan in this March 16 photo. Korea Times file

By Kang Seung-woo

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has hinted at a reciprocal trip to Korea, according to a media report, amid growing signs that bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been improving.

Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, Wednesday, that Kishida expressed his willingness to visit Korea, being quoted as saying that he has to go this time. However, it did not specify when he will travel to Korea.

His remark, made during a dinner with local newspaper executives in Tokyo, Wednesday, came a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol traveled to Japan for a summit with Kishida on March 16.

Prior to his trip, the Korean government drew up a resolution on compensating victims of Japan's wartime forced labor by using a public foundation funded by Korean companies without direct payment from Japan.

During last month's summit, the two heads of state agreed to resume the so-called shuttle diplomacy through which the leaders regularly visit each other's countries. Such relations have been suspended since 2011 due to the frayed bilateral ties between the two nations.

The prime minister was also reported to have emphasized that he wanted to cherish Korea-Japan ties.

Japan is scheduled to host the G7 summit next month in Hiroshima and it is considering inviting the Korean president to the event.