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On the morning of January 10, members of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union, including Acting Chairman Kim Tae-whan, visited President Kaieda at the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) headquarters, and the two sides exchanged opinions on a variety of issues. The meeting was also attended by Administration Committee Chair Koichi Takemasa, Administration Committee Deputy Chair Yasuhiko Wakai, and Head of the Executive Office Takeshi Shina.
President Kaieda opened the meeting by saying “We sincerely welcome you all. Although there are currently a number of political disputes between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), we have a long history of bilateral communication, and economic, cultural and human exchanges are also constantly taking place. Since I have past experience in promoting the Japan-ROK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) during my time as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, I aim to support the current administration in its efforts toward resuming EPA negotiations. Furthermore, I intend to push forward exchanges between the DPJ and political parties in the ROK as well.”
Acting Chairman Kim said in his address “Chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union Hwang Woo-yea had to return to the ROK yesterday and I would like to apologize on his behalf. Although the result of the recent election was an unfortunate one for the DPJ, we appreciate the past work of the DPJ administration towards enhancing ROK-Japan bilateral relations. We would like to offer our continued cooperation to further improving the relationship between our two countries.”
After the addresses, a number of the participating parliamentarians from both countries offered remarks and the meeting ended on a convivial note.
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