Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi may meet with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha in Spain. The Japanese minister wants to ask the South Korean side to take steps over the issue of wartime labor.
Motegi is to begin a six-day tour from Thursday that will take him to Sri Lanka and Spain.
He will attend talks by foreign ministers at the Asia-Europe Meeting to be held in Madrid on Sunday and Monday. Arrangements are being made for a meeting between Motegi and Kang.
At the possible meeting, Motegi plans to call on South Korea to rectify its violation of international law in regard to the wartime labor issue and offer a solution Japan can accept.
Relations between Japan and South Korea are strained over trade and the wartime labor issue.
South Korea's Supreme Court last year ordered Japanese companies to compensate South Koreans who say they were forced to work for Japanese firms during World War Two.
Arrangements are also being made for a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of a trilateral summit including China later this month.
NHK
