Japan's Kishida, South Korea's Yoon call to sustain momentum in improved ties

By Hyonhee Shin and Hyunsu Yim

SEOUL (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called on Friday at a summit in Seoul to keep up the momentum behind an improvement in relations, which will be tested by imminent changes of leaders in Tokyo and Washington.

Kishida's final, whirlwind trip to his neighbour as prime minister came as the two leaders seek to seal their newfound partnership after orchestrating an about-face in ties, prodded by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Relations between the two staunch U.S. regional allies had sunk to their lowest level in decades amid acrimonious diplomatic and trade disputes over Japan's 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

Kishida emphasised the need to continue efforts to advance bilateral ties, once again expressing sympathy for Koreans who suffered during Japanese colonial rule.

"There is a lot of history ... but it is very important to inherit the efforts of our predecessors who overcame difficult times, and cooperate toward the future," Kishida told Yoon at the meeting.

"I've also said here in Seoul that I feel heartbroken that so many people have had such difficult, sad experiences in such difficult circumstances," he added, referring to his earlier comments during a visit last year.

Yoon also called for sustaining the positive momentum of cooperation built by the leaders, saying next year could provide "a turning point" for the relationship to take a leap forward marking its 60th anniversary.

"There are still difficult issues remaining in Korea-Japan relations. I hope that both sides will continue to work together with a forward-looking attitude so that we can continue to take steps toward a brighter future."

The two welcomed the signing of an agreement to facilitate the evacuation of each others' citizens from an emergency in a third country, which Kishida called a symbol of growing trust.

They also agreed to work together to simplify immigration procedures for travellers, and ensure that North Korea cannot utilise Russia's backing to stage more provocations, according to Yoon's deputy national security adviser, Kim Tae-hyo.

Kishida has announced he will step down this month and Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party will hold elections on Sept. 27 to choose his successor.

He is due to return to Tokyo on Saturday after dining with Yoon on Friday night, their offices said.

LOOMING ELECTION UNCERTAINTY

Yoon has made it a diplomatic priority to mend ties with Tokyo and improve security cooperation including with Washington to tackle North Korea's military threats, which led to a historic trilateral summit at Camp David last year.

Ahead of looming elections in Japan and the U.S., however, there is a lingering question whether the Asian neighbours can maintain the kind of genuine rapprochement that will put their historic woes behind with new leaders in place.

Kishida told Yoon that the importance of bilateral ties would not change regardless of who succeeded him and pledged to help maintain the momentum even after leaving office, Kim said.

Washington is confident Kishida's successor will be as committed to continuing the renewed alliance and that "all of these projects we've been working on together are going to continue at pace under new leadership" said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior official at the White House National Security Council.

"Both Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon took on a great deal of personal risk and political risk to move forward the warming of their bilateral ties in ways that prior governments just hadn't been able to accomplish."

Kim Hyoung-zhin, a former South Korean deputy foreign minister, said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took a more hands-off approach toward the partnership with Seoul and Tokyo when in office, while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris would likely keep Biden's course if elected.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith and Dogyun Kim in Seoul, Tim Kelly, John Geddie and Kantaro Komiya in Tokyo, David Brunnstrom in Washington, with additional reporting by Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park; writing by Jack Kim and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies and Stephen Coates)