Japan, S Korea leaders look to deepen ties, despite strains

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The leaders of Japan and South Korea have said they will look to deepen ties in the face of regional security threats, despite recently strained bilateral relations. Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke Friday by telephone with Korean President Moon Jae-in. Kishida has already spoken to a number of other world leaders — underscoring chilly relations between Tokyo and Seoul despite a shared key ally in the U.S. and mutual concerns over the region’s deteriorating security situation. Ties between Tokyo and Seoul have suffered over the legacy of Japan’s World War II atrocities and disagreements over compensation for wartime Korean laborers during the Japanese occupation.