Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that Japan will further expand and deepen cooperation with South Korea based on his relationship of trust with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Speaking to the Japanese parliament, the prime minister added that South Korea is an important neighboring country with which it must cooperate in responding to international challenges.

Kishida also stressed that Tokyo will advance strategic trilateral cooperation with South Korea and the U.S. while also promoting the framework of South Korea, China and Japan.

His comments present a stark contrast to his October 2021 speech delivered during the Moon Jae-in administration in which he demanded an appropriate response from South Korea to return to a healthy bilateral relationship.

Prime Minister Kishida also stressed that he would deepen U.S.-Japan relations and strengthen the bilateral alliance using the state visit to the U.S. scheduled for April and seek to strengthen supply chains and cooperation in semiconductors.