Japan has partially lifted export restriction measures against South Korean chipmakers.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday announced on its website that it had slightly eased restrictions on shipments of photoresist to South Korea.
  
Amid the dispute over colonial-era grievances, Tokyo in July issued stricter trade restrictions requiring its exporters to secure government approval in order to ship hydrogen fluoride, fluorinated polyimide and photoresist to South Korean companies. 

The three chemical products from Japan are used by Samsung Electronics and other South Korean tech giants in the production of semiconductors and display panels.  

A month after Japan's decision, Seoul in August announced that it would scrap the General Security of Military Information Agreement(GSOMIA) with Japan but reversed that decision in November. 

South Korea and Japan then began director-general-level talks earlier this week, discussing the export control systems and related policies.

The partial lifting of export restrictions came a few days ahead of the planned South Korea-Japan summit, taking place on the sidelines of the South Korea-China-Japan talks in China next week.

Seoul's deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong told reporters on Friday that the meeting is regarded to be significant given the recent strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

At the summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to touch on Japan’s export curbs on South Korea and Seoul’s move to conditionally suspend the termination of GSOMIA with Japan.

Seoul says Japan's trade measures are in retaliation to South Korean Supreme Court rulings last year, which ordered Japanese companies to pay reparations to victims of wartime forced labor. Japan has declined to follow the rulings.