Japanese

Jan. 9 (Asia Today) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will visit Japan for a two-day, one-night trip starting Jan. 13, the presidential office said Thursday, with historical issues including the Chosei coal mine incident expected to be addressed alongside future-oriented cooperation.

The visit will mark the first round of Korea-Japan shuttle diplomacy this year and Lee’s second visit to Japan since taking office. It will also be his third meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, following encounters at last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju and the Group of 20 summit.

According to the presidential office, Lee will arrive in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi’s hometown, on the afternoon of Jan. 13. The summit will include a closed-door meeting, an expanded session and a joint news conference, followed by a dinner between the two leaders.

The leaders are expected to discuss expanding cooperation in areas directly affecting people’s daily lives, including intellectual property protection, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, efforts to counter transnational crimes including fraud, social issues and people-to-people exchanges.

They also plan to explore humanitarian approaches to historical issues, including the Chosei coal mine incident, which involves the remains of Korean forced laborers from Japan’s colonial period.

Woo Sung-lak, head of the National Security Office, told reporters during a briefing at the presidential office that Seoul is seeking “new progress” on the issue, including the possibility of DNA testing on remains. He said discussions on historical matters could extend to other areas as well.

“Historical issues have always existed between South Korea and Japan,” Woo said. “Although they are rooted in the past, they remain current issues that must be managed carefully so they do not hinder future cooperation.”

Woo said the government aims to build goodwill and tangible outcomes in bilateral relations when conditions are favorable, and to use that momentum later when more difficult issues arise.

On regional security matters, Woo said summit meetings typically include discussions on surrounding regional developments and noted that similar exchanges of views took place during Lee’s recent summit with China.

On the morning of Jan. 14, Lee and Takaichi are scheduled to attend goodwill events, including a visit to Rurinsan Temple, before Lee meets with South Korean residents in Japan and returns home.

The summit has drawn attention because it will be held outside Tokyo, reflecting Lee’s stated interest in regional development. Last year, Lee met with former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan, focusing on revitalizing local economies and regional governments. Lee has since expressed interest in holding future summits in regional areas of Japan.

Woo said the idea of a regional summit grew out of discussions between Lee and Ishiba, adding that Nara Prefecture holds symbolic significance as both Takaichi’s hometown and a site of historical and cultural exchange between South Korea and Japan.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Suspect is in police custody; no information about potential motive.

A man has carried out a mass stabbing attack at a Japanese tyre factory, also spraying victims with a chemical substance, according to local officials.

Eight people were stabbed and seven others were injured after being sprayed by a bleach-like agent at the Yokohama Rubber Co tyremaker in Japan’s Mishima, southwest of Tokyo, on Friday, said the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department.

Japanese media named the suspect as a 38-year-old who is now in custody. He is being charged with attempted murder, reported Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper, citing the Shizuoka prefectural police.

The suspect was carrying a survival knife and wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, according to investigators cited in the Asahi report. He is believed by police to have acted alone, the report added, though there was no immediate information about a potential motive.

The Associated Press news agency cited the fire department as saying five of the stab victims are in serious condition, but conscious.

An employee of a nearby car dealership said she was “shocked” to learn of the attack in what is generally a “quiet” area.

“I’m scared, but I’m also shocked that it could have happened in a place like this,” the unnamed employee told Asahi Shimbun.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, which has a low murder rate and some of the world’s toughest gun laws.

However, there are occasional stabbing attacks and even shootings, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

In June, Japan executed a man dubbed the “Twitter Killer”, after he was convicted of killing and dismembering nine people he met on social media. The execution was the country’s first use of capital punishment in nearly three years.

A Japanese man was also sentenced to death in October for a shooting and stabbing rampage that killed four people, including two police officers, in 2023.

Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.

Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the 2002 ANA Open when he was 55.

He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.

“He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.

Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.

Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with golf.

Ozaki won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five in a row from 1994 through 1998. He won his final money title in 2002, when he was 55.

When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ozaki said his one regret was not playing more outside of Japan.

“But I dedicated my life to Japanese golf and am extremely grateful the voters thought I was worthy of this honor,” he said upon his election. He received 50% of the vote on the International ballot.

Ozaki was looked upon as the Arnold Palmer of golf in Japan with his powerful swing, charisma and sense of style, often wearing silk shirts and baggy pants. And his skill was not limited to just golf. He played the guitar and had three songs reach the pop charts in Japan, according to the Hall of Fame.

His first love was baseball, and he spent three years pitching professionally before turning to golf. That was evident when Ryo Ishikawa, who won his first Japan Golf Tour title at age 15, spoke of Ozaki’s influence. Ishikawa said he would visit Ozaki about 10 times a year to get advice.

“Jumbo used to be a baseball player, so he always tried to teach me the link from pitching or hitting to golf,” Ishikawa said in 2010 interview with the Associated Press. “Jumbo wanted me to hit the ball far.”

Ozaki traveled with an entourage when he did play outside Japan in the majors, usually renting a house and bringing a sushi chef so his people would feel at home.

He has two younger brothers who also played on tour, Naomichi (Joe) and Tateo (Jet).

Ozaki played in the 1996 Presidents Cup, partnering with Vijay Singh to beat the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 team but decided against the trip to Australia, and his brother, Joe, played instead.

Ferguson writes for the Associated Press.