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Japan
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Japan’s ex-PM Suga leads cross-party group promoting Japan-South Korea ties

  • Suga could visit South Korea as early as this spring and meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to sources close to the matter
  • Yoon, who became president in May 2022, has been making efforts to improve ties with Japan while strengthening military cooperation with the US

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (3rd from left) meets Japanese political leaders in Japan including former prime minister Yoshihide Suga (3rd from right), at a hotel in Tokyo, Japan on March 17, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/YONHAP
Kyodo
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was appointed on Monday the head of a cross-party group of lawmakers promoting friendly ties between Japan and South Korea, as the two neighbours see increasing signs of a diplomatic thaw.
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Strengthening the relationship between Tokyo and Seoul is essential for resolving issues including the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea and realising a free and open Indo-Pacific, Suga said at a meeting of the group.

Suga is the first former prime minister to take the position since Yoshiro Mori held it between 2001 and 2010. He takes over from former finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga, who assumed the post for about 10 years.

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“I want to fulfil my role in bringing bilateral relations a great step forward,” the new group head said.

Suga could visit South Korea as early as this spring and meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to sources close to the matter. Photo: Kyodo
Suga could visit South Korea as early as this spring and meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to sources close to the matter. Photo: Kyodo
A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, Suga could visit South Korea as early as this spring and meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to sources close to the matter.
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