Japan, South Korea hail spring thaw in frosty relations

Tokyo lifts export curbs on chip materials; Seoul to restore intelligence-sharing deal

- Walter Sim

TOKYO - Japan lifted export curbs on the supply of materials for hightech chips to South Korea on Thursday, while South Korea declared the "complete normalisation" of their bilateral military intelligence sharing deal.

These quick-fire breakthroughs came as the two countries with a difficult shared history vowed to turn the page on relations that have blown hot and cold with nearly every change in government.

Giving the impetus was the first bilateral visit by a South Korean president to Japan in 12 years.

Mr Yoon Suk-yeol had plenty of face time with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday, as they sought to cement their friendship and kick off the so-called "shuttle diplomacy" unfettered by frequency and formality at all levels of government.

After a 90-minute summit and joint media conference, they went to the glitzy Ginza district for a dinner of sukiyaki (beef hotpot) at the

high-end Yoshizawa, which opened in 1924, and then an after-party of omurice (omelette rice) at the casual Rengatei, which invented the dish in 1900.

"On this day, as cherry blossoms start to bloom in Tokyo, and we sense the arrival of spring, I am very happy to start a new chapter to build a forward-looking relationship with South Korea," Mr Kishida said.