"Restore Japan-South Korea relations to a healthy form'' = Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

Regarding Japan-South Korea relations, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed, "We will resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible and restore Japan-South Korea relations to a healthy form."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made the remarks during a speech at the Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. on Jan 13th (local time), according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News.

The 'pending issue' mentioned by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is interpreted as referring to the issue of former forced laborers. Prior to this, the South Korean government held an open forum on the issue of compensation for former forced laborers on the 12th and proposed a way to resolve the issue.

In addition, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the Japanese government's decision to strengthen its defense capabilities at the end of last year was "one of the most important decisions in the history of the Japan-US alliance."

Continuing on with regard to economic security, he pointed out that "Japan-US cooperation in the semiconductor and energy fields will be an important key," and added, "It is crucial that the United States return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement."

Regarding issues related to China, he emphasized, "Both sides will make efforts to build a constructive and stable relationship while asserting what they should assert and demanding responsible actions."