The ASAHI SHIMBUN
Shinzo Abe and Park Geun-hye meet in March 2006. Next week, Abe will become prime minister for a second time, and in February, Park will be inaugurated as South Korean president (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The new leaders of Japan and South Korea appear to be in no great rush to ease strains in bilateral relations, judging by their comparative silence on the subject in their election campaigns.