BEIJING/TOKYO -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, on Wednesday had a bilateral meeting on the outskirts of Beijing, but the two countries could not make any significant progress to settle issues related to wartime labor and export controls.
The most controversial item on the meeting's agenda was related to a recent judgement by South Korea's Supreme Court, which ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation for laborers forced to work during World War II. Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have sunk to their lowest point in years, following a series of South Korean court decisions.
