Japan's Kono wants progress in resolving wartime workers feud with Seoul

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday said he wanted to see progress toward resolving a feud with South Korea overcompensating Korean wartime workers that brought a deep chill in ties between Washington's two Asian allies. Kono, speaking outside Beijing after talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, also said Japan wanted Seoul and Tokyo to maintain a military intelligence-sharing pact that could expire if South Korea decides not to roll it over later this month.

He said he had discussed the matter with Kang but declined to give details. Kono also urged both China and South Korea to scrap import curbs on produce from areas around Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster site, where three reactors melted down after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.