Kishida finishes meetings with some 40 foreign dignitaries

TOKYO, Sep 29 (NHK) - Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has finished a series of meetings with about 40 foreign dignitaries who were in Tokyo for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

On Wednesday, the final day of the three-day scheduled meetings, Kishida held separate talks with 20 leaders. They included South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and former British Prime Minister Theresa May.

In his meeting with Han, Kishida expressed thanks for condolences from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and other South Koreans.

Han said Kishida and Yoon had good talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.

He also said South Korea and Japan are important cooperative partners, and that it is in their common interest to swiftly improve bilateral relations.

Kishida and Han agreed to step up diplomatic exchanges to restore and develop bilateral ties, with such issues as wartime labor in mind.

Kishida intends to increase Japan's presence in the international community through various diplomatic occasions, with a view to the Group of Seven summit scheduled to be held in Hiroshima next year.

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