SEOUL & TOKYO CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF TIES

Hello and welcome to this workweek's FIRST edition of Press Perspective as we here in Korea return from a long weekend to mark the March 1st Independence Movement Day.

Today that is Tuesday March 4th we touch upon ties between Seoul and Tokyo as the two countries celebrate six decades of diplomatic relations this year.

For more I have Koichi Yonemura the deputy foreign news editor at The Mainichi.

Koichi it's been a while.

Welcome back.

I also have Professor Lim Eun-jung of International Relations at Kongju National University with the pundit's take on today's discussion.

Professor Lim as always it's a pleasure.

1) Koichi, let's start with details of this survey by the Japanese Cabinet Office.

2) Koichi, the same survey showed the percentage of Japanese people who believe Tokyo and Seoul have good ties also rose over five percentage points to 51.2% What do you believe is behind this improvement?

3) Professor Lim, how does a shift in political landscape here in South Korea look to affect Seoul-Tokyo ties going forward? I mean some say a change in leadership from conservative to liberal may hamper advances in bilateral relations. Others believe Trump's protectionist policies may push Seoul and Tokyo closer together regardless of which political party gains power. What are your thoughts?

4) Koichi, speaking about Korea's political turmoil. A Hong Kong–based news website claims Japanese newspapers are voicing concern over the deepening political divide in South Korea, fearing that North Korea may seek to take advantage of the polarization. Do tell us more.

5) Professor Lim, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya become the first top diplomat to visit South Korea in January amid the country's political turmoil, and both he and Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul shared hopes for a trilateral meeting with China in the near future. Again, what are the PROSPECTS of productive ties among these three East Asian countries amid the current changes in the global geopolitical landscape, and what would be the GAINS of active trilateral interactions?

6) Koichi, Tokyo hosted a trilateral secretariat meeting among South Korea, Japan and the U.S. last Thursday. What was the gist of that gathering?

7) Professor Lim, what are your prospects with regard to the trilateral partnership among South Korea, Japan and the U.S. under the Trump administration?

8) Meanwhile Koichi, on a light note beyond politics and diplomacy. A host of joint productions between South Korea and Japan are showing on Netflix this year including a food show and a drama series as well as movies for the big screen. Do you see these efforts on the entertainment front encouraging constructive interaction between the two countries on security and trade?

All right.