Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated his demand that South Korea first keep promises made between states in order to narrow rifts that have deepened over South Korean court rulings on Japan’s wartime forced labor issue. 

Abe made his stance known on Tuesday while speaking before the upper chamber of Japan’s bicameral legislature. 

Echoing his parliamentary remarks last week, Abe said South Korea is an important neighbor and a partner of significant bilateral and trilateral cooperation on North Korean issues that also involve the United States. 

However, he accused South Korea of continually hurting mutual trust by refusing to intervene in what he called violations of their 1965 normalization treaty and demanded Seoul create the momentum to normalize bilateral ties by observing inter-governmental promises. 

Abe also reiterated his wish to have an “unconditional summit” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stressing the urgency to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970's and 80's.