"Although at this moment there is an incredibly complex situation in the Japan-South Korea relations, I think it should not be left unchecked," the Japanese prime minister said.
He added that to improve its relations with Japan, South Korea had to follow through on its promises.
The South Korean prime minister arrived in Japan for the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito, but also to try to salvage relations between two countries, which are currently at a low point. The two prime ministers had a 20-minute conversation, according to the foreign ministry. Abe stressed that Japan and South Korea were important partners and that they should cooperate with each other, and with the United States, especially on the issue of North Korea.
Relations between Tokyo and Seoul worsened after Japan introduced limitations on exports of certain raw materials for the South Korean electronics industry in the wake of a Seoul court ordering Japanese companies to sell assets in order to pay compensation to Korean victims of forced labor during Japanese colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
In August, the South Korean government announced the termination of a bilateral pact on sharing intelligence information.
