South Korea hopes a high-level visit to Tokyo next week will kickstart talks aimed at a breakthrough in historical disputes despite concerns the death of former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe could disrupt efforts to mend ties, Seoul officials said.
Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Washington has been pressing for Tokyo and Seoul to mend fences in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat and the rising influence of China.
Yoon would also likely use his Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech marking Korea's independence from Japan as a chance to send a reconciliatory message to Tokyo, the official added.The assassination of Abe, who was a defining leader in Japanese politics and a divisive figure in Korea, has raised new doubts about the outlooks for relations with South Korea, where bitter wartime memories run deep.
"We see great potential in stronger trilateral relationships," Derek Chollet, Counselor of the U.S. State Department, told Reuters this week.
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