South Korea’s Moon thanks Japan former emperor to mend ties

Bloomberg

South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrote to former Japanese Emperor Akihito to thank him for contributing to improving ties, in a gesture that could help thaw chilly diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Moon sent the letter as the former emperor relinquished his crown to his son Crown Prince Naruhito. Akihito has emphasized the importance of guarding peace during his reign and Moon expects that he would continue to help improve the two countries’ relations after he steps down, South Korea’s foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said in briefing.
Akihito ended his three-decade reign on Tuesday, concluding the imperial era known as Heisei. The 85-year-old Akihito humanised the role of the emperor, visiting shelters and meeting with survivors after major disasters.
Akihito made an unprecedented apology for the wartime aggression committed in the name of his father, Hirohito, which helped ease often fraught relations with neighbours China and South Korea.
When a South Korean president visited Tokyo in 1990, Akihito expressed “deepest regret” for the sufferings Japan caused when it colonised South Korea.
The historical wounds still hamper the two neighbours from advancing their diplomatic relations, which are at their lowest level
in years. South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that Japanese companies must compensate Koreans who were forced to work in their factories during the Japanese occupation of Korea
between 1910-1945.