New Foreign Affairs Minister for Japan "Korea-Japan relations are very important..."Development to the Future"

Japan's new Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said the relationship between Korea and Japan is "a very important bilateral relationship" and "I want to steadily develop toward the future."

In his first press conference since taking office today, Foreign Minister Iwaya said, "I am confident that close cooperation between South Korea and Japan will not only benefit both sides, but also lead to stability and prosperity in East Asia."

"There were many difficult tasks in the Korea-Japan relationship, but it has recovered dramatically between President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida," he said. "I want to make the relationship between the two countries solid and broad on the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan next year."

Referring to the 2018-2019 Korea-Japan patrol aircraft issue, when he was the defense minister, Iwaya said, "We are able to overcome it and exchange and cooperation between Korea and Japan's defense authorities," adding that he wants to further strengthen relations at various levels.

He added that the cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, which is indispensable for peace and stability in the region, also wants to ensure this.