EDITORIAL: Japan, S. Korea should take quick action to defrost chilly relations

When do Japan and South Korea intend to start fixing their dysfunctional political communication system to mend their deeply strained relationship that hurts the economies of both countries? Tokyo and Seoul should start making serious efforts to settle the bilateral dispute over the issue of compensation to former Korean wartime laborers, which is at the heart of the soured ties. While the dire state of the bilateral relations has been overshadowed by the new coronavirus pandemic, the conflict between the two governments remains as tense and bitter as ever, one year after Japan’s move last July to tighten controls on Japanese exports to South Korea. Over the past year, the...