Senior diplomats from Japan, China and South Korea plan to hold talks in Seoul, possibly on Sept. 25, despite a feud between Tokyo and Beijing over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, diplomatic sources have said.
It is hoped the planned working-level talks will set the stage for the resumption of annual three-way summits, which have been suspended since 2019. Japan is to be represented by Takehiro Funakoshi, senior deputy minister for foreign affairs, the sources said Friday.
While ties between Japan and South Korea have been improving, there has been renewed tension between Tokyo and Beijing after the treated water release from the nuclear plant began late last month.
China opposes the discharge and has called on Japan to halt the release of what it calls “nuclear-contaminated water.” In protest, China has implemented a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, prompting Japan to respond to the measure by calling for it to be scrapped.
South Korea, which has served as chair of the trilateral framework since 2020, is seeking to host a trilateral summit by the end of this year, in an apparent bid to maintain high-level dialogue between the countries and encourage cooperation on regional issues, including North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
The leaders of the three neighboring countries last held a trilateral meeting in China, in December 2019.