TOKYO: The Japanese government on Friday announced a plan to resume bureau-chief-level talks with South Korea over issues related to export controls.

The announcement came as Seoul decided to suspend procedures for a complaint it filed with the World Trade Organization against Japan's tighter controls on exports of certain semiconductor materials to South Korea.

Tokyo now believes that the South Korean side has shown its intention to address problems with its export control system. No bilateral bureau-chief-level talks on export controls have taken place since summer 2016.

Still, Japan plans to keep the enhanced trade measure in place for the time being. "We'll continue operating our export control system appropriately," Japanese trade minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told reporters on Friday.

On the same day, the South Korean government announced a policy of effectively extending its General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, with Japan, in a reversal of its decision to scrap the pact, which was taken in August amid the worsening bilateral relationship.

Toward reopening the bureau-chief-level export control talks, the two sides will shortly hold a preparatory meeting of lower-ranking officials.

"If South Korea properly operates its export control regime, that could pave the way for Japan to review the tightening of its export controls on South Korea," Yoichi Iida, head of the Japanese trade ministry's Trade Control Department, said at a press conference Friday.

He thus indicated that such a review would be possible if improvements in South Korea's implementation of its export control system are confirmed through the dialogue.

After putting the tighter export controls on semiconductor materials into place in July due to suspected flaws in the South Korean export control system, Japan removed South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners qualified for preferential treatment in export procedures in August.

Claiming that the Japanese trade actions were in retaliation against South Korea over the issue of wartime labor, Seoul brought the Japanese measures to the WTO in August. South Korea also ousted Japan from its trusted trade partner list.

Last year, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to South Koreans requisitioned to work for them during World War II. Japan's stance is that all wartime compensation issues between the two nations were settled under a 1965 bilateral pact on property and claims.

JIJI Press