South Korea and Japan made scant progress in discussions on resolving a long-standing wartime labor issue in a meeting of their senior diplomats, a South Korean official said on Jan. 30.
Japan said on Dec. 23 it had lodged a protest with South Korea over military drills conducted in waters near a pair of islets in the Sea of Japan, claimed by both countries.
As officials from China and Japan achieved fresh consensus on maritime cooperation at their latest high-level talks, analysts said that building trust and the recent efforts made by the countries' leaders are helpful in terms of effectively managing differences.
Senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea pledge to take "specific steps" if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official says, with fears growing about such a provocation.