TOKYO: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha urged Japan on Sunday to scrap its stricter controls on exports to her country swiftly, the South Korean government said Monday.

Kang made the request during 10-minute talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe Meeting gathering in Madrid, the South Korean government said.

The ministers welcomed the holding in Tokyo Monday of a bureau chief-level policy dialogue between the two countries to discuss the exports controls, the Japanese government said.

At a press conference in Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that export controls are not something that is decided on through talks with foreign countries.

Japan is doing export controls based on a comprehensive review of circumstances including measures taken by domestic companies and foreign countries, Suga said.

During his talks with Kang, Motegi reiterated Japan's demand that Seoul act to correct its violation of international law over their countries' wartime labor issue.

The Japanese and South Korean ministers held the talks while standing after their governments failed to set up a formal meeting due to scheduling difficulties.

Motegi and Kang agreed to continue efforts to hold a bilateral meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of a three-way summit of Japanese, South Korean and Chinese leaders, set for Dec. 24 in Chengdu, China.

The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers shared the view that their countries will cooperate to deal with North Korea's nuclear development program.

JIJI Press