In his first official visit to Japan, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se has met with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida.

The meeting was held on Sunday in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Yun’s visit to Japan marked the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides. It was the first official visit to Japan by a South Korean foreign minister since 2011.

During the meeting, Kishida described the event as “meaningful,” adding that talks would continue between Seoul and Tokyo despite the existence of “difficult problems.”

A Japanese government source said the two officials agreed to work towards scheduling a joint summit “at an appropriate time.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to take part in a ceremony with Yun on June 22.

Tokyo and Seoul are at odds over the ownership of the Dokdo islets, which are located in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and controlled by South Korea. However, Japan claims them under the name of Takeshima.

South Korea has also called on Japan to makes amends for its role in forcing hundreds of women into sex slavery before and after World War II.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye had previously said that no meeting would be held between the two sides until Japan makes a move toward the settlement of the matter.

However, Tokyo says the issue was settled in the 1965 normalization agreement, under which Japan paid USD 800 million in grants or loans to South Korea. Japan also issued a formal apology in 1993.

The two countries and China are considering holding a trilateral meeting later this year.

SZH/HMV/SS