By Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and South Korea will maintain their first bilateral finance dialogue in seven years on Thursday, with each seeking to mend strained ties as they face frequent geo-strategic dangers from an more and more assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and his South Korean counterpart Choo Kyungho are anticipated to agree on the necessity to restore a lapsed bilateral foreign money swap association, in keeping with authorities officers with data of the agenda for the talks in Tokyo.

The swap deal expired in 2015 amid worsening relations over points associated to Japan’s wartime occupation of the Korean Peninsula, and its restoration would symbolise the advance in relations, analysts say.

The ministers will even focus on international financial developments, infrastructure funding in growing international locations, and the position each international locations may play in multilateral monetary cooperation.

“Japan and South Korea are essential neighbours that should cooperate to deal with numerous challenges surrounding the worldwide economic system, in addition to the regional and worldwide group,” Suzuki stated at a quick assembly with Choo early final month.

“We’re experiencing incidents like North Korea’s nuclear missile improvement and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Japan sees these as unacceptable, and one thing the 2 international locations should deal with collectively.”