ⓒYONHAP News

Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has been elected Japan's 99th prime minister, succeeding Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in the country's modern history who resigned last month due to health reasons.

At a plenary session of Japan's House of Representatives on Wednesday, Suga, who was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party(LDP) earlier this week, won by a majority. He followed that by also winning a majority in the House of Councillors.

President Moon Jae-in has congratulated Suga on his appointment and called for joint efforts to develop bilateral ties between the two nations.

According to Presidential Spokesperson Kang Min-seok, in a letter delivered on Tuesday afternoon, Moon expressed hope the two sides will work together to further develop Seoul-Tokyo relations.

Calling Japan a country that not only shares basic values and strategic interests with South Korea but is its closest friend geographically and culturally, the president said Seoul is ready to sit down face-to-face anytime and communicate and expects Japan’s active response.

Following Moon’s letter, Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Wednesday reiterated Tokyo's position that the South Korean top court's 2018 rulings that ordered Japanese firms to compensate Korean wartime forced labor victims are in violation of international laws.

At a press conference following the first Cabinet meeting under new Suga on Wednesday, Motegi said South Korea is an important neighboring country and cooperative partner on regional security.