Japan–South Korea Joint Declaration of 1998

On July 6, 1992, Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Kato made an apology towards South Korea and to the wartime comfort women.

Similarly, on June 23, 1996, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto apologized about comfort women and announced that he and President Kim Young-sam had agreed that friendly relations between Japan and South Korea was ideal for not just in Asia, but also globally.

[9] When no action was taken by Japan to “correct” their textbooks, South Korea temporarily halted allowing Japanese cultural capital from coming into the country, which has been happening over five steps since the 1998 Joint Declaration.

[10] The 4th step of allowing Japanese cultural imports into South Korea, which was temporarily stopped on July 12, 2001, resumed on January 1, 2004.

Abe emphasizes that the efforts from people like the past-Prime Minister Obuchi and past-President Kim Dae-jung have allowed the two countries to overcome obstacles regarding Japan-South Korea relations.

In the Japan–South Korea Joint Declaration of 1998, Prime Minister Obuchi made his feelings of remorse and apology clear, as to all the damage and suffering that had been done during Japan's colonial rule.

[15] During the meeting that concluded in the Joint Declaration between Japan and South Korea in 1998, an apology addressing past transgressions on the Japanese side was issued from PM Obuchi Keizo to ROK President Kim Dae-jung.

At the time, PM Obuchi faced difficulties in producing a clear narrative on the historical issues with ROK due to inconsistency within the Japanese government and the leading political party LDP.

In the second section that outlines the agreements made between Japan and ROK in 1998, it is written that “both leaders shared the view that it was important that the peoples both countries, the young generation in particular, deepen their understanding of history, and stressed the need to devote much attention and effort to that end”.

[17] On November 25, 1998, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1989–2002) and China's president (1993–2003) Jiang Zemin[18] and his wife made a state visit to Japan that lasted for five days.