Japan and South Korea launch dialogue on energy security cooperation

Andong, South Korea (ANTARA) - Japan and South Korea have agreed to launch a framework for dialogue to pursue concrete cooperation on energy security amid concerns about oil supplies as tensions in the Middle East rise, according to a Japanese government official on Tuesday.

Japan and South Korea also stated they would bolster collaboration in critical mineral supply chains, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at a press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung after their meeting in Andong, South Korea.

President Lee said it is very important for South Korea, China, and Japan to respect each other, work together, and pursue common interests.

This is essential to realising true peace and stability in the region, Lee added, noting that bilateral cooperation could be limitless.

Takaichi’s trip to Korea was part of a sequence of reciprocal leader-level visits, reflecting the close ties between Japan and Korea in recent years.

The South Korean government welcomed Takaichi’s presence with courtesy equal to that accorded to other visiting heads of state.

“If we transcend precedent and conventional practice, and deepen our understanding and empathy for one another, we can achieve practical and innovative cooperation,” Lee said in a portion of the meeting open to the media.

Takaichi said it is important for Japan and Korea to play a role as pillars in stabilising the Indo-Pacific region.

Both Japan and South Korea are heavily dependent on crude oil imports from the Middle East and face shared challenges in securing oil and related products since the United States and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February, which led to the Hormuz Strait being closed as the main route for global crude oil shipments.

Until a few years ago, the ties between the two neighbouring Asian countries were at their worst in decades.

But Japan–Korea relations have improved since Lee’s predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced a solution to the wartime forced labour issue in 2023. Moreover, reciprocal leader visits continued in 2023 after a hiatus since 2011.

Against the backdrop of North Korea’s ongoing missile and nuclear developments and growing Chinese military activity, Japan and Korea have strengthened bilateral defence cooperation and trilateral cooperation with their security allies, led by the United States.

Source: Kyodo