
Top Japan, S Korea diplomats to pursue stable development of ties
During their phone talks, Iwaya and Cho also affirmed the importance of cooperating not only bilaterally and also trilaterally with their common ally, the United States, "under the current strategic environment," according to the Foreign Ministry.
Iwaya was quoted as saying he hopes to work closely with Cho, who took office on Monday, to address issues related to North Korea, including its nuclear and missile development and past abductions of Japanese nationals.
Cho, a former South Korean ambassador to the United Nations, was appointed to his current post by President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in early June following the impeachment and removal of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, for having briefly imposed martial law last December.
Japan-South Korea ties, long strained over historical grievances including a wartime labor dispute, had improved after Yoon became president in 2022, a period that also saw deepened security cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
© KYODO
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Asahi Shimbun
20 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
New TV show imagines China invasion, gives Taiwan viewers wake-up call
A supporter of the recall election poses for a photo at a preview event for the upcoming Taiwanese drama series 'Zero Day Attack' in Taipei on July 23. (REUTERS) TAIPEI--A new Taiwanese television series that imagines the run-up to a Chinese invasion is getting rave reviews from viewers, who said the first program featuring the sensitive topic is a wake-up call for the public facing heightened Chinese military threat. In the show, 'Zero Day Attack,' a Chinese warplane goes missing near Taiwan. China then sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei. At viewings in Taipei last week attendees have included the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan Raymond Greene, who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a strident critic of Beijing. The series is set to premiere on August 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video. 'Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day,' said Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode in the Taipei premier last week. The premise of 'Zero Day Attack' is a topic that has for years been considered too sensitive for many Taiwan filmmakers and television show creators, who fear losing access to the lucrative Chinese entertainment market. More than half of the show's crew asked to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people including a director pulled out of the production at the last minute, its showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei told Reuters. But as China steps up military threats, including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to Taiwan, the upcoming drama confronts the fear by setting the 10-episode series around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The drama focuses on several scenarios Taiwan might face in the days leading up to a Chinese attack, including a global financial collapse, the activation of Chinese sleeper agents and panicked residents trying to flee the island. 'Without freedom, Taiwan is not Taiwan,' the actor who plays a fictional Taiwan president says in a televised speech, urging unity after declaring war on China, in the show's trailer. The live broadcast then gets abruptly cut off, replaced by a feed of a Chinese state television anchor calling for Taiwanese to surrender and to report 'hidden pro-independence activists' to Chinese soldiers after their landing in Taiwan. 'We've been comfortable for a long time now,' said viewer Leon Yu, 43-year-old semiconductor industry professional, adding Taiwan's freedom and democracy must be kept. 'There's still a lot of people out there burying their head in the sand and don't want to face the dangers of the present.'


Japan Times
20 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Japan expects only 1% to 2% of $550 billion U.S. fund to be investment
Japan expects only 1% to 2% of its recently agreed upon $550 billion U.S. fund to be in the form of actual investment, with the bulk of it being loans, according to the nation's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa. At the same time, Tokyo would save roughly ¥10 trillion ($68 billion) through lower tariff rates in its deal with America, he said. The $550 billion investment framework will be a combination of investments, loans and loan guarantees provided by financial institutions backed by the Japanese government, Akazawa said on public broadcaster NHK on Saturday night. Of the total, investment would be worth 1% or 2% and the United States and Japan would split the profits of that investment at a ratio of 90-to-10, he said. Japan had originally proposed a 50-50 ratio, he added. The fund is a centerpiece of the deal announced by the two sides that will impose 15% tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods. But the details given by Akazawa suggest the Japanese may end up giving up much less than at first glance. The comments come as officials from countries with deals with the U.S. sift through the terms to explain to the public what they entail. "It's not that $550 billion in cash will be sent to the U.S.,' Akazawa said. "By letting the U.S. have 90% of the profits rather than 50%, I think Japan's loss will be at most a couple of tens of billions of yen. People are saying various things, such as 'You sold out Japan,' but they're wrong.' For the loans provided through the program, Japan will simply be collecting the interest payments, and for the loan guarantees, if nothing happens Japan will also be just collecting fees, Akazawa said. "For that part, Japan's just making money,' he said. Akazawa also clarified that the investment program won't be only supporting Japanese and U.S. firms. As a potential example, he cited a Taiwanese semiconductor firm building a factory in the U.S. "We'd like to put the $550 billion in place during President (Donald) Trump's term,' Akazawa added. Further details of the implementation of the U.S.-Japan deal remain unclear including when the new tariff rates would take effect and when the new investment vehicle would kick off. There's been no joint document signed by both sides for the deal, although the White House has published a fact sheet. "If you say something like, 'Let's create a joint document,' they will say, 'We'll lower tariffs after the document is created,'' Akazawa said. In order to not lose time, "we will demand that they issue an executive order to lower tariffs as soon as possible, regardless of a document.' Last week, Akazawa said he expects universal tariffs on Japan's shipments to be lowered to 15% on Aug. 1, while he said he wanted the car tariffs to be cut to 15% as soon as possible without specifying a date. The Trump administration has touted the deal with Japan as a potential model for others. On Sunday, the U.S. and European Union agreed on a deal that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports with the EU pledging to invest $600 billion in the U.S.


Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim rejects outreach by South's new president
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, delivers a speech during a national meeting against the coronavirus in Pyongyang on Aug. 10, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) SEOUL--The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed overtures by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that North Korea has no interests in talks with South Korea no matter what proposal its rival offers. Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the U.S. anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change its course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same booming ties with Russia when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end. 'We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with' South Korea, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which took office in early June. In an effort to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, Lee's government has halted anti-Pyongyang frontline loudspeaker broadcasts, taken steps to ban activists from flying balloons with propaganda leaflets across the border and repatriated North Koreans who were drifted south in wooden boats months earlier. Kim Yo Jong called such steps 'sincere efforts' by Lee's government to develop ties. But she said the Lee government won't be much different from its predecessors, citing what it calls 'their blind trust' to the military alliance with the U.S. and attempt to 'stand in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-U.S. military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the U.S. since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions. North Korea has since focused on building more powerful nuclear weapons targeting its rivals. North Korea now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine, likely in return for economic and military assistance. South Korea, the U.S. and others say Russia may even give North Korea sensitive technologies that can enhance its nuclear and missile programs. Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed intent to resume diplomacy with him. But North Korea hasn't publicly responded to Trump's overture. In early 2024, Kim Jong Un ordered the rewriting of the constitution to remove the long-running state goal of a peaceful Korean unification and cement South Korea as an 'invariable principal enemy.' That caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Many experts say Kim likely aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family's dynastic rule. Others say Kim wants legal room to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it as a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification which shares a sense of national homogeneity.