ⓒYONHAP News

The leaders of South Korea and Japan have held their first summit in 15 months, seeking to resolve their strained relations.

"Japan and South Korea are the closest neighbors historically and culturally and are also very important partners for trade and personnel exchanges. Even if there is temporary unease, the two sides cannot push each other away."

"The collaboration among Japan, South Korea and the U.S. regarding security, including North Korea, is very important. I, too, also think that we should improve the important Japan-South Korea relationship. I would like to candidly exchange opinions today."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks on the sidelines of the Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo meeting in Chengdu on Tuesday.

Following the meeting that lasted about 45 minutes, South Korean presidential spokesperson Ko Min-jung said President Moon told his Japanese counterpart that Tokyo's trade restrictions against Seoul should be completely lifted.

She also said Abe called for the ongoing trade dispute to be resolved through dialogue.

The meeting came amid tensions resulting from Japan placing export control measures against South Korea in apparent retaliation for South Korean Supreme Court rulings last year that ordered Japanese companies to compensate Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

The South Korean spokesperson noted that although Moon and Abe confirmed differences over the court rulings, they saw eye to eye on the need to solve the issue via dialogue.

During the meeting, Moon also agreed to support Japan over the issue of Japanese nationals believed to be kidnapped by North Korea.

The leaders of South Korea, China and Japan also held a three-way meeting to discuss a range of issues and agreed to further cooperate towards promptly resuming the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

At a joint press conference following this year's trilateral summit in China's Chengdu on Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in said he and his counterparts agreed that peace on the Korean Peninsula coincides with their countries' mutual benefit.[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean)]"(The leaders of) South Korea, China and Japan agreed to continue close communication and cooperation for denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. We shared the view that peace on the peninsula coincides with our mutual benefit and that we should join efforts toward resuming dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea for substantial progress in denuclearization and peace establishment."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the leaders agreed that international sanctions on the North should be implemented in support of Washington and Pyongyang's peace process, while Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said dialogue and negotiation are the only ways to resolve the nuclear issue.The leaders also discussed promoting three-way cooperation in areas linked to people's quality of life.On economy and trade, the leaders agreed to accelerate trilateral free trade talks launched in 2013 and join efforts to formally sign the mega Asia-Pacific trade pact known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership next year.