EXCLUSIVE 'Moon-Abe summit should take place before GSOMIA ends'
Rep. Takeo Kawamura of the Liberal Democratic Party Korea Times file
By Park Ji-won
TOKYO ― A senior Japanese ruling party lawmaker stressed the need for a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the final ending of an intelligence-sharing pact.
“In order to invite President Moon Jae-in to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it is important to have certain outcomes before the official cancellation of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which falls on Nov. 23. If President Moon holds his summit with Abe before Nov. 23, then that would be very substantial in terms of maintaining healthy bilateral relations,” Rep. Takeo Kawamura, a senior member of the Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians' Union and a member of Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), told The Korea Times in an exclusive interview at his Tokyo office, Thursday.
His remark on the possible summit came a day after South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon agreed with Abe on the need to maintain communication channels to resolve the ongoing bilateral dispute.
The Japanese lawmaker cited “misinterpretations” of the 1965 normalization treaty between South Korea and Japan as one reason that caused worsening bilateral relations.
“Japan thinks South Korea broke the agreement,” Kawamura said, referring to last year's decision by the Supreme Court of South Korea which ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.
However, Kawamura said the South Korean PM's visit to Japan helped the two countries take “a first step” for further open discussions.
“Prime Minister Lee told us that Seoul has been abiding by the treaty and will continue to do so,” Kawamura responded. Kawamura had a private meeting with Lee and Rep. Fukushiro Nukaga, chief of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and a lawmaker of the ruling LDP, on Wednesday.
Stressing the sad history between the two countries, he said it is important for Seoul and Tokyo to keep talking based on the South Korea-Japan Joint Declaration made in 1998 for a future-oriented relationship.
“It only took 50 years since the establishment of the relations. It is a bad idea to break it…. It is a must to face the past. But we also need to live for the future based on the partnership. Based on the thoughts, the differences between the two countries can be adjusted,” Kawamura said. “I think the two countries should not let the situation continue and want to recover the relationship. I will continue to take action toward it.”
The 10-term lawmaker and former chief cabinet secretary has taken dovish stances when it comes to Seoul-Tokyo relations, claiming the partnership between Seoul and Tokyo is a must to build future-oriented relations between the neighboring countries. He is known as one of the closest lawmakers to Japan's leader as his precinct Yamaguchi C is adjacent to Abe's precinct Yamaguchi D. He is also known for having a network with officials of the Moon Jae-in administration.
President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Rep. Fukushiro Nukaga, chief of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and a lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, as Rep. Takeo Kawamura, center, secretary-general of the union, looks on before having a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in this Aug. 21, 2017, file photo. Korea Times file