The phone talks Thursday between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yashihide Suga have drawn attention as they came amid expectations for the two countries to find a breakthrough in the worst-ever bilateral relations. Moon, describing Japan as a close friend for Korea, stressed the need for the two nations to find an optimal solution to the soured relations.
In response, Suga expressed hope for the two nations to set up future-oriented relations by tackling current difficulties resulting from sensitive history-related issues. The conversation came nine months after Moon met former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last December in Chengdu, China, during the trilateral summit among neighboring countries.
Moon and Suga focused on wartime forced labor, agreeing on the need to resolve the matter through close consultations. Suga stressed at a press briefing after the phone talks that he would maintain Japan's stances and continue to ask Seoul to present appropriate measures to tackle the issue.
It is improper for Suga to try to blame Seoul with regard to the deteriorated relations without mentioning Japan's responsibility. While taking office, Suga declared he would inherit the policies of his predecessor Abe in foreign affairs. Abe had been the target of criticism for his pursuit of making Japan a nation that can wage war with other countries by revising the postwar constitution.
Japan has triggered public uproar in Korea by curbing exports of key industrial materials to Korean firms in apparent retaliation against the Korean Supreme Court's ruling ordering Japanese firms to pay compensation to surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor. Bilateral relations will likely worsen unless Seoul and Tokyo compromise.
Suga is known as a pragmatic leader in comparison with Abe, who had adopted a nationalist agenda. For instance, Suga dissuaded Abe from visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, dedicated to war criminals and others, in 2013. We expect Moon and Suga to continue to have candid dialogue.
The international order faces growing uncertainty amid signs of a new Cold War between the United States and China. Given this, Seoul and Tokyo will suffer setbacks should they continue to work against each other. It is high time for them to explore ways of cooperating to forge beneficial relations.