Japan, S. Korea Agree to Cooperate on World Heritage Issue

Tokyo, June 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his visiting South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, agreed Sunday to cooperate so that sites recommended respectively by the two nations will both be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, paving the way for resolving the bilateral dispute over the matter. At their meeting in Tokyo, they also agreed to continue efforts to set up a bilateral summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye at an appropriate time. The bilateral meeting of foreign ministers, the first since the one held in Seoul in March, took place as Japan and South Korea are set to mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic normalization on Monday. South Korea has opposed Japan's bid to have sites related to its Meiji era industrial revolution added to the World Heritage list, arguing that Koreans were forced to work at some of the sites during the wartime. But Tokyo has sought Seoul's understanding, saying that the sites are promoted for the period from the 1850s to 1910, and do not include the 1940s, when the wartime forced labor took place. Seoul has urged Tokyo to clarify the negative aspect of the industrial revolution sites by, for example, setting up a monument. At Sunday's meeting, Kishida is believed to have told Yun that Japan is ready to show entire history at the sites. South Korea, for its part, has recommended historic sites of the Baekje Kingdom for registration as World Heritage sites. As Kishida and Yun agreed to cooperate for the registration of both the industrial revolution sites in Japan and the historic sites in South Korea, the World Heritage-linked confrontation between the two sides is set to be resolved ahead of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's meeting in Germany from June 28, in which a decision on whether to approve the registration will be made. "For promoting Japan-South Korea relations, we held positive talks about bilateral cooperation," Kishida told reporters after the meeting. Kishida added that he and Yun agreed to work together to realize a summit between Abe and Park at an appropriate time. Meanwhile, Yun was cautious somewhat. He separately told reporters that it is not the time to talk about when a bilateral summit should be held, adding that it is important to lay the groundwork first. As the two countries' relations have been strained due to history and territorial issues, Abe and Park have been unable to hold a one-on-one meeting since they took office, in December 2012 and February 2013, respectively. On the issue of so-called comfort women, mainly Koreans, who were forced to provide sex to Japanese troops before and during World War II, Kishida and Yun reiterated their countries' respective positions. Kishida is believed to have explained that the issue has been settled legally under a 1965 bilateral treaty on the rights to claim over war reparations. Kishida and Yun agreed to continue talks between bureau-chief-level officials of the two countries' foreign ministries. Yun told Kishida he expects that past Japanese cabinets' views of history, including those in a 1995 statement by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, will be clearly shown in a statement Abe plans to issue this summer to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Murayama statement, released on Aug. 15, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, said that Japan caused "tremendous damage and suffering" to the people of many countries, especially in Asia, through its "colonial rule and aggression." It also offered "deep remorse" and "heartfelt apology" to victims. Yun invited Kishida to visit South Korea within this year. Kishida promised to adjust his schedule to realize the visit. The two ministers also agreed that Japan and South Korea will hold a meeting of their foreign ministers on the sidelines of each relevant international gathering. On Monday, Yun is slated to pay a courtesy call on Abe. Abe is set to attend an event in Tokyo Monday afternoon to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic normalization, which will be sponsored by the South Korean embassy in the Japanese capital. In Seoul on Monday afternoon, Park is slated to take part in a similar event, to be sponsored by the Japanese embassy in the South Korean capital. END