Japan has reportedly not responded to South Korea's call to lift export curbs imposed last year as the deadline for an answer ended Sunday.

Earlier last month, the South Korean Trade Ministry gave Tokyo until the end of May to present its position on the export restrictions imposed in July last year on three key industrial materials. Japan also removed South Korea from its list of trusted partners.

At the time, Lee Ho-hyun, a senior official at the Trade Ministry, urged Japan to respond on the matter, noting that it's been about a year since Japan announced the export curbs.

Lee said there are no problems that hinder Japan's exports to South Korea and thus the country has no reason to hesitate to lift its trade curbs.

A senior official at the Trade Ministry told KBS on Sunday that Japan has yet to reply on the matter. The official said the government does not know whether Tokyo will answer, or what it is going to say.