Japan Suga: Japan, South Korea ties will return to health if Seoul keeps its promises

Japan's top government spokesman said on Wednesday that relations with South Korea were in a "severe situation in various areas" but would return to healthy ties if Seoul kept its promises. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that South Korea was an important neighbor.

He added that arrangements were being made for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of a trilateral summit including China next week. Relations between the two countries cooled after a South Korean court ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to Koreans forced to work in their mines and factories during World War Two. Tokyo says the issue was settled by a 1965 treaty.

The feud spilled over into trade and security but has shown some signs of easing.