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Dispute between Japan and South Korea overshadows G20 meetings

22 November 2019 10:58 (UTC +04:00)

Japan seized the last event of its G20 presidency on Friday to push back at South Korean claims about radiation from its ruined Fukushima nuclear plant as a deep dispute between Tokyo and Seoul threatened to overshadow the meetings, APA reports citing Reuters.

Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) nations gathered in the central Japanese city of Nagoya for two days of talks, just as an intelligence-sharing pact between Japan and South Korea is set to expire.

It remained unclear whether South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha would attend, even though heads of delegations from Washington, Beijing and Moscow had already confirmed their presence for an official dinner later on Friday.

Relations between Japan and South Korea, both U.S. allies, have been upended by a dispute over history that has also affected trade. Seoul has voiced concerns about potential radioactive contamination from the Fukushima plant, which Tokyo has dismissed.

“Go tell your Korean friends it is not true,” one Japanese government official said as she handed out a Korean-language brochure entitled “To Eliminate Groundless Rumours”, which said fish and agricultural produce from Fukushima were safe.