A rare meeting between the governor of Tokyo and the South Korean president took place in Seoul on Friday, the first face-to-face bilateral talk since President Park’s inauguration.

Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe visited the president’s office to work towards a betterment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, President Park got on the controversial topic of “comfort women”, women and girls forced by the Japanese military into sexual slavery during wartime. She remarked that a sincere effort is required on Japan’s part to reconcile the situation between two nations. “The topic of ‘comfort-women’ is not just a bilateral issue but a worldwide one,” she said. “It concerns the human rights of all women, and I expect sincere efforts to resolve it.”

President Park criticized some words and deeds of Japanese politicians, which have aggravated relations between the two countries in the past.

Governor Masuzoe emphasized that Prime Minister Abe is a strong supporter of building a stable relationship with South Korea. After taking office, Abe has been an active guest in ally countries in order to foster diplomatic relations.

After the talks, Governor Masuzoe said the discussions proved very meaningful, and that the fact that citizens of both nations want to improve relations was made very clear. He intends to share what has been discussed with Prime Minister Abe.