Science and technology will be the next area of cooperation that defines improving Japan-South Korea relations as game-changing innovation is possible when two or more countries join hands, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.
In a rare joint appearance with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kishida underscored their personal rapport built in a series of meetings, saying that their decisions have brought about a "big change" in relations long frayed by wartime history issues.
"In the realm of security, the common recognition is, 'No one country can defend itself alone,'" Kishida said during an event at Stanford University.
"The same can be said of science and technology. From now on, no one country can create innovations that transform the world," he said.
He specifically cited semiconductors, quantum technology and artificial intelligence as the next big things made possible by multiple nations working together.
COVID-triggered chip shortages in recent years have laid bare the vulnerabilities of existing supply chains, which are dependent on China.
Japan, for its part, has been deepening cooperation with its longtime security ally the United States to build more robust supply chains to ensure economic security, both bilaterally and with other like-minded partners.
South Korea is another key U.S. ally in Asia where China's increasing clout has become a regional concern, partly because of its use of trade restrictions and other economic means to achieve its goals.
The Japanese government is scrambling to reinvigorate the chip sector. As this year's chair of the Group of Seven major economies, Japan has led efforts in setting out rules to make good use of AI by addressing concerns about privacy and misuse.
Kishida may have experienced firsthand the rapid advances of generative AI as a fake video of him appearing on a news program, possibly created by generative AI, recently emerged on social media.
"Nowadays, if you ask AI, you can get a speech that sounds just like one instantly," he said. "But rest assured. It's me talking about what I have in mind, not ChatGPT."
