SEOUL, Jan 11: Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso sought on Sunday to build closer economic ties with South Korea to help both countries weather the global financial crisis.

Making his first visit to Seoul as premier, Aso told Japanese and Korean business leaders the early conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement would benefit both sides.

“I am fully aware that the governments are urged to sign the Japan-South Korea economic partnership agreement at an early stage, which would benefit the economies of both nations,” Aso said in his speech during a luncheon.

“At the summit tomorrow I would like to discuss cooperative measures with the president for both nations to prosper under the volatile global economic climate,” he said ahead of talks with President Lee Myung-Bak on Monday which are also expected to deal with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“I firmly believe the president and I can join hands together and construct a win-win bilateral relationship, which would be beneficial for businesses of both countries,” Aso said.

Lee, who took office in February last year, visited Japan in April and agreed to try again to negotiate the free trade agreement, which has been held up by protectionism in both countries.

Aso brought a delegation of about 20 business leaders including Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the powerful Japan Business Federation, with him, the first time a Japanese leader has done so.

“The government hopes the diplomatic visits by the two countries will encourage a higher level of exchanges by business leaders and others,” said a Japanese government official ahead of the prime minister’s two-day visit.

But the exchange of visits with South Korea, which suffered under harsh Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, has often been disrupted by territorial or historical disputes.

Despite the freezing weather, some 20 students rallied at Hanyang University campus to protest at Aso’s visit and waved banners decrying Japanese claims to islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).—AFP