Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his ‘heart hurts’ for Koreans who suffered under Japanese colonialism
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 5:51 am
Japan’s Kishida tells S Koreans his heart hurts over occupation
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his ‘heart hurts’ for Koreans who suffered under Japanese colonialism.
Read more here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/7 ... rea-threat
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told South Koreans that his heart hurts when he thinks of suffering and pain during Japanese colonial rule, as Seoul and Tokyo seek to mend ties amid nuclear threats from North Korea.
Kishida’s bilateral visit on Sunday is the first by a Japanese leader to Seoul in 12 years.
It returns the trip South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made to Tokyo in March, as they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing after the summit, Kishida stopped short of offering a new official apology for wrongs committed under the 1910-45 occupation, but said his government inherits the stance of earlier administrations, some of which have issued apologies.
“For me personally, my heart hurts when I think of the many people who endured terrible suffering and grief under the difficult circumstances of the time,” he said, without elaborating.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his ‘heart hurts’ for Koreans who suffered under Japanese colonialism.
Read more here:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/7 ... rea-threat
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told South Koreans that his heart hurts when he thinks of suffering and pain during Japanese colonial rule, as Seoul and Tokyo seek to mend ties amid nuclear threats from North Korea.
Kishida’s bilateral visit on Sunday is the first by a Japanese leader to Seoul in 12 years.
It returns the trip South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made to Tokyo in March, as they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.
Speaking to reporters at a briefing after the summit, Kishida stopped short of offering a new official apology for wrongs committed under the 1910-45 occupation, but said his government inherits the stance of earlier administrations, some of which have issued apologies.
“For me personally, my heart hurts when I think of the many people who endured terrible suffering and grief under the difficult circumstances of the time,” he said, without elaborating.