The two countries tried to improve relations this year.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALO ALTO — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed cooperation on clean energy supply chains, quantum computers and other technological innovations at a meeting in Silicon Valley, California, United States (US).
Fumio said the cooperation was the neighbors’ latest attempt to improve ties after what he called “deep difficulties.” The two countries tried to improve relations this year.
The two leaders met several times following the Camp David meeting with US President Joe Biden last August. Yoon and Kim met with Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
With concerns about China’s aggressiveness and North Korea’s nuclear and missile ambitions, Washington is pushing its two biggest allies to improve relations. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo were strained due to the issue of forced labor during Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-1945.
On Friday (17/11/2023), apart from signing economic and military cooperation, Yoon and Kashida signaled that cooperation in the fields of science and technology would be the core of relations between the two countries. They spoke of the importance of sharing technology with countries that share “the same vision.”
Yoon noted innovations such as quantum computers will have an impact on national security. He said that cooperation in technology development must be carried out with countries that have the same values.
Kishida said he was looking forward to announcing a joint supply network with South Korea for carbon-neutral fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia.
“No one country can defend itself, and the same is true with technology – no one country can change the world,” Kishida said.
The two leaders gave opening speeches from podiums on opposite sides of the stage. They ended the event by wearing Stanford baseball caps, raising fists and smiling together at the students and professors in attendance.
The two were watching the annual “Big Game” football game between Stanford and its San Francisco Bay Area rival, the University of California, Berkeley, which was to be held on Saturday.
“But for President Yoon and myself, this is the Big Game,” said Kishida.
Source : Republika