Japanese and South Korean business chiefs vowed Thursday to deepen cooperation on tackling common challenges including climate change and their countries' population declines.
In a joint statement, the major business lobbies of the two countries agreed on the importance of accelerating decarbonization efforts while ensuring economic growth and stable energy supplies.
The statement came amid bilateral tension following a series of court decisions ordering Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to pay damages to South Koreans for wartime labor.
At the meeting of the two organizations in Tokyo, Masakazu Tokura, head of the Japan Business Federation known as Keidanren, said, "We hope our candid exchange of opinions leads to stronger ties between companies in both countries, and peace and prosperity in East Asia."
"We need to steadily build on our economic cooperation," said Jin Roy Ryu, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries.
The joint conference was the 30th since the business lobbies established them in 1983.
