Japan, South Korea renew ties at Tokyo summit

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea agreed to resume regular visits between their leaders and take steps to resolve a trade dispute during a long-awaited summit. Japan’s prime minister called it a “big step” to rebuilding the two nations’ security and economic ties as they try to overcome a century of difficult history. The summit could revise the strategic map of northeast Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had both stressed the importance of improved ties as they opened Thursday’s summit, hours after a North Korean missile launch and encounters between Japanese and Chinese vessels in disputed waters.