Shifting global landscape makes closer cooperation with S. Korea essential: top Japan envoy

The volatile international landscape, compounded by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, is bringing South Korea and Japan closer together, making their bilateral cooperation increasingly essential, Japan's top envoy to Seoul said Friday. Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koichi Mizushima made the remarks at a forum hosted by a senior journalists' club, pointing to shifts in the global environment, including Russia's war in Ukraine and its deepening ties with North Korea, as a key factor affecting the Seoul-Tokyo relations. "The landscape has become increasingly volatile," Mizushima told a forum through an interpreter. "In that context, I believe it's fair to say that the international environment is evolving in ways that make cooperation between Japan and South Korea necessary as two like-minded countries." Mizushima, who previously served as ambassador to Israel, noted the need for coordination between the United States and other major countries to quickly defuse tension in the Middle East. "This is extremely important for the international community, as well as for Japan and Kore

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