The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement in relation to the anticipated speech to be made by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific.
On Aug. 10, the ministry said that the Korean government takes notice of the repeated pledges by the Japanese government to uphold historical views expressed in statements issued by former Japanese cabinets, such as the Murayama, Koizumi and Kono statements, and that these have served as the foundation for the development of the Korea-Japan relationship ever since the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an Aug. 10 statement that the Japanese government should make it clear in Prime Minister Abe’s upcoming speech that it upholds the historical views reflected in previous statements, and that the ties between Korea and Japan should develop in a virtuous cycle.
The ministry stressed that Korea expects the Japanese government to make it clear in Prime Minister Abe’s statement, to be made on the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific, that it clearly upholds the historical views reflected in the aforementioned statements and that it would demonstrate a mature attitude to resolving differences in opinions concerning historical facts, and open a new chapter in its relations with neighboring countries, including Korea.
The Korean government hopes that ties between Seoul and Tokyo would develop in a virtuous cycle on the 50th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relationship this year, and that Japan would be able to win the trust of its neighbors and be reborn as a country that plays a responsible role in the international community, the ministry added.
By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
jun2@korea.kr
