Japan-ROK Summit Meeting (Summary)
May 7, 2023
[Provisional translation]
On May 7, commencing at 3:50 p.m. for approximately 105 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. YOON Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, during his visit to Seoul, the Republic of Korea. The summary of the meeting is as follows (The small-group meeting commenced at 3:50 p.m. and lasted for approximately 40 minutes; the plenary meeting commenced at 4:35 p.m. and lasted for approximately 65 minutes).
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida stated that he was delighted to visit Seoul so soon after welcoming President Yoon in Tokyo in March and have the “shuttle diplomacy” resume in earnest. He also expressed his appreciation for the ROK’s kind cooperation in the recent evacuation of Japanese citizens from Sudan.
2. The two leaders welcomed the fact that dialogue and cooperation between the two governments are moving forward in a wide range of areas in line with the result of their meeting in March, including the resumption of the Finance Ministers’ Meeting and the Japan-ROK Security Dialogue, the meeting of a bilateral economic security dialogue, as well as further progress in the area of export control. Prime Minister Kishida also conveyed his support for the efforts of the ROK as the Presidency of the Japan-ROK-China trilateral process.
3. The two leaders welcomed the robust resurgence of bilateral exchanges in the business sector, and the continued robustness seen in their private sector exchanges and parliamentary exchanges. Prime Minister Kishida conveyed the Japanese government's decision to fully resume face-to-face youth exchanges with the ROK through the JENESYS (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) program and to double the number of participants compared to the previous fiscal year.
4. Regarding the matter of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) Treated Water, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan will continue to provide the ROK with explanations based on scientific evidence in a highly transparent and sincere manner, while continuing to undergo the reviews by the IAEA. The two leaders further concurred on a dispatch of delegation of ROK experts to TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station this month, so as to foster deeper understanding in the ROK. Prime Minister Kishida reassured that as Prime Minister of Japan he would not allow any discharge that would harm the health of Japanese and Korean citizens and the marine environment.
5. The two leaders exchanged views on regional affairs. In light of North Korea’s continuing provocations in particular, they concurred on the importance of advancing the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the ROK-U.S. alliance, as well as Japan-ROK bilateral and Japan-ROK-US trilateral security cooperation. They decided to hold a Japan-ROK-US Summit Meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Hiroshima Summit to further deepen discussions. President Yoon reiterated his support for Japan regarding the abductions issue. Prime Minister Kishida congratulated President Yoon for the success of his recent State Visit to the United States. Furthermore, the two leaders discussed and decided to work closely with each other on various challenges facing the international community, such as the advancement of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the situation in Ukraine, bearing in mind President Yoon’s participation in the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit.
6. The two leaders affirmed that the improvement of Japan-ROK relations is on track, and decided to continue to deepen trust through “shuttle diplomacy” and advance the bilateral relations, taking the opportunity of the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit among others. In this regard, the two leaders concurred on visiting the Peace Memorial Park in Atomic-bombed Hiroshima to offer prayers together to the monument in memory of the Korean victims of atomic-bomb.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida stated that he was delighted to visit Seoul so soon after welcoming President Yoon in Tokyo in March and have the “shuttle diplomacy” resume in earnest. He also expressed his appreciation for the ROK’s kind cooperation in the recent evacuation of Japanese citizens from Sudan.
2. The two leaders welcomed the fact that dialogue and cooperation between the two governments are moving forward in a wide range of areas in line with the result of their meeting in March, including the resumption of the Finance Ministers’ Meeting and the Japan-ROK Security Dialogue, the meeting of a bilateral economic security dialogue, as well as further progress in the area of export control. Prime Minister Kishida also conveyed his support for the efforts of the ROK as the Presidency of the Japan-ROK-China trilateral process.
3. The two leaders welcomed the robust resurgence of bilateral exchanges in the business sector, and the continued robustness seen in their private sector exchanges and parliamentary exchanges. Prime Minister Kishida conveyed the Japanese government's decision to fully resume face-to-face youth exchanges with the ROK through the JENESYS (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) program and to double the number of participants compared to the previous fiscal year.
4. Regarding the matter of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) Treated Water, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan will continue to provide the ROK with explanations based on scientific evidence in a highly transparent and sincere manner, while continuing to undergo the reviews by the IAEA. The two leaders further concurred on a dispatch of delegation of ROK experts to TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station this month, so as to foster deeper understanding in the ROK. Prime Minister Kishida reassured that as Prime Minister of Japan he would not allow any discharge that would harm the health of Japanese and Korean citizens and the marine environment.
5. The two leaders exchanged views on regional affairs. In light of North Korea’s continuing provocations in particular, they concurred on the importance of advancing the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the ROK-U.S. alliance, as well as Japan-ROK bilateral and Japan-ROK-US trilateral security cooperation. They decided to hold a Japan-ROK-US Summit Meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Hiroshima Summit to further deepen discussions. President Yoon reiterated his support for Japan regarding the abductions issue. Prime Minister Kishida congratulated President Yoon for the success of his recent State Visit to the United States. Furthermore, the two leaders discussed and decided to work closely with each other on various challenges facing the international community, such as the advancement of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the situation in Ukraine, bearing in mind President Yoon’s participation in the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit.
6. The two leaders affirmed that the improvement of Japan-ROK relations is on track, and decided to continue to deepen trust through “shuttle diplomacy” and advance the bilateral relations, taking the opportunity of the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit among others. In this regard, the two leaders concurred on visiting the Peace Memorial Park in Atomic-bombed Hiroshima to offer prayers together to the monument in memory of the Korean victims of atomic-bomb.
