Diplomatic friction between South Korea and Japan that threatens to undermine a strategic partnership with the U.S. appears to be easing after years of intense bickering between the two key American allies in Northeast Asia.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have both expressed hope to resolve their nations’ historical tensions in meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, where the two met with President Biden on Wednesday.
The three-way leaders meeting was the first of its kind since September 2017, coming amid rising concern in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul that North Korea is on the verge of carrying out a nuclear weapon test that could test the strength of America’s regional security alliances.