“I would say there is optimism about the relationship at the moment, but South Korean people are worried about how things might change in the future because they know that Takaichi is a conservative nationalist on issues such as security and history,” said Yuji Hosaka, a professor of history and politics at Seoul’s Sejong University.
“The feeling here is that South Korea wants to have a positive relationship with Japan and that it would be beneficial to both nations in terms of trade, sharing technology, security and many other issues, but people are saying we have to see how things are in two or three months to understand how it is going to be.”
“I hope to work with you to further strengthen future-oriented, mutually beneficial cooperation between our two nations and peoples,” he wrote. “I also hope that, based on shuttle diplomacy, our leaders will continue to meet frequently and communicate closely.”