A senior Japanese official reportedly said that South Korea should first present specific measures to resolve the issue of Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.

According to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily on Sunday, the official issued the position regarding South Korean President Moon Jae-in's remarks during his Liberation Day speech that the Seoul government is ready to sit down with Japan at any time to resolve the longstanding issue.

The unidentified Japanese official reportedly said that South Korea has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue, but it remains unchanged in its position that requires concessions from Tokyo.

An official from the Japanese Foreign Ministry reportedly said that if dialogue is important, Japan hopes South Korea will present proposals that will lead to the resolution of the issue.

President Moon said on Saturday that the government, while respecting court rulings, has consulted with Japan to seek a smooth resolution of the issue which victims can agree to, adding that the door for consultations still remains wide open.

Tokyo has argued that all colonial era reparation-related issues were settled through the 1965 bilateral treaty. But in 2018, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that individual rights to compensation remain valid despite the state-to-state deal.