Japan, South Korea mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Japan and South Korea on Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of signing a treaty that normalized diplomatic relations between the two East Asian neighbors.

The Japan-South Korea basic treaty was signed on June 22, 1965, and took effect on Dec. 18 that year. A bilateral claims treaty was concluded at the same time, declaring the complete and final resolution of war-linked claims with Japan’s pledge of economic cooperation.

The future of the bilateral relationship now appears to depend on the Japan policy chosen by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who took office this month.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba aims to build mutual trust with Lee by continuing talks. At their first meeting in Canada last Tuesday, the two leaders agreed on the significance of cooperation between their countries and among the two plus the United States, and vowed to continue summit-level reciprocal visits.

Ishiba plans to meet with Lee again on the sidelines of a NATO summit to be held in The Hague for two days from next Tuesday.