Takeda Named Chair of Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians’ Union

Tokyo, March 11 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese interior affairs minister Ryota Takeda was appointed chair of the Japan-South Korea parliamentarians’ union, a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers promoting ties between the two countries, on Tuesday. Takeda, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, succeeded former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, an LDP member who has retired from politics. Suga recommended Takeda, former secretary-general of the parliamentarians’ group, as his successor, a person familiar with the matter said. The group wants to meet with South Korean leaders, including President Lee Jae-myung, at an early date to advance relations between the two countries. Takeda told members of the group that exchanges between Japanese and South Korean lawmakers have helped sustain bilateral ties even when the two countries faced challenges that strained them, including disputes over wartime history. “It is necessary to work actively through parliamentary diplomacy on issues that governments can’t solve,” he added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]