By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said he will invite President Lee Myung-bak to the G-8 Summit to be held in Hokkaido, Japan in July.
``I think we can share opinions and know-how on environmental issues in cooperation with Korea,'' he told Korean correspondents in Tokyo Friday. ``It is because we consider Korea a major power of Asia, a friend to discuss these issues with.''
It is the first time for Fukuda to officially announce his invitation of Korea to the G-8 Summit though some had raised the possibility of the invitation.
Fukuda further said that he sees a greater possibility of bilateral relations in the future and the two countries have a responsibility to make it happen.
Mindful of tensions, which aggravated the ties in the past mainly due to historical issues, Fukuda said, ``It is important to have courage and wisdom to face and reflect on the past. We will do our best to build better relations with Korea by understanding the mindset of Koreans in a future-oriented way.''
Fukuda also said he would like to resume the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Korea, which was suspended in November 2004. ``We would like to resume the negotiation as early as possible by excluding obstacles to the negotiation,'' he said.
The negotiation was first launched in December, 2003 but was stopped a year later as the two sides widely differed in determining items for free duty.
Turning to North Korean issues, Fukuda said he will try to make progress in the relations with Pyongyang through dialogue, particularly the nuclear weapons' program and Japanese abducted to the North.
Japan has insisted it will not offer economic aid as part of an international effort for North Korea's denuclearization unless the communist country clearly explains the abduction.
Meanwhile, Fukuda hinted that voting rights of Korean residents in the election of Japanese local governments will not likely be realized soon.
``The matter is an important part of Japan's national election system, and we need to discuss it further,'' he added.
yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr
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