Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Wednesday no summit meeting or foreign ministers’ meeting between Japan and South Korea was planned at the moment, but Tokyo plans to maintain diplomatic dialogue with its neighbour.
Ties between Tokyo and Seoul, two Asian allies of Washington, have deteriorated to their worst level in decades after South Korea’s Supreme Court last October ordered some Japanese firms to compensate Koreans forced to work in their wartime mines and factories.
“There is nothing decided on a summit meeting or foreign ministers’ meeting, including on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly,” Motegi told reporters.
“But of course, we plan to maintain diplomatic communication, including dialogue between the foreign ministers.”
On Japan’s trade talks with the United States, Motegi reiterated that Japan plans to seek clear confirmation that no additional tariffs will be imposed on Japanese cars.
Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman
TOKYO (Reuters) –
