Japanese ex-PM Aso to visit South Korea to improve ties
By MARI YAMGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has left for Seoul to meet with South Korean officials as the two countries try to improve ties that were badly strained by Japanese wartime atrocities. At the center of the disputes between the two countries are South Korean court rulings in 2018 that ordered Japanese companies to compensate wartime forced Korean laborers. Gaffe-prone Aso is also known for his family business’ wartime use of forced laborers. But ties have started showing signs of improvement since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative government took power in May. The trip comes days after a crowd surge in the South Korean capital Seoul killed over 150 people.
