section_path: Presidency (2022–2025)/Foreign policy/Japan
section_name: Japan
paragraph_text: Japan
  
  Yoon has been accused of having a pro-Japanese stance on historical issues and colonialism by liberals and some conservative politicians in South Korea. In particular, some have criticized Yoon's government close relationship with the "far-right" Japanophilic New Right movement.
  
  Yoon's government has not sought direct compensation or apology from the Japanese government and companies for victims of forced labor, a war crime committed by the Empire of Japan government and Japanese companies during World War II. Instead, Yoon's government has expressed its stance to receive voluntary donations from South Korean companies through a third-party foundation as a solution to the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court ruling which demanded compensation from the Japanese government and companies for past war crimes against victims who were forcibly recruited by the Japanese Empire during World War II. The DPK criticized this, stating "It tramples on the victims and represents Japan's companies interests". The Justice Party (JP) also joined the DPK in "declarations of the state of affairs" (시국선언) to criticize Yoon's government. As of March 2023, 11 of the 15 surviving victims opposed Yoon's government's solution and demanded direct compensation from the Japanese government and companies.
  
  Yoon's remarks at a commemorative event related to the Samiljeol (3.1 절 or 삼일절), 1 March 2023 caused a great controversy in South Korea. Samiljeol is a national holiday that celebrates Koreans' spirit of resistance to regain their identity from colonial Japan. Yoon said, "Korea lost its national sovereignty and suffered because it was not properly prepared for historical changes in the world at the time, and we should reflect on this past." The remarks drew criticism from the opposition parties in the South Korea as " Chinil " (친일), "colonialist historical perspective" (식민사관), and "pro-Japanese highly submissive diplomacy" (친일 굴종외교); Yoon was compared to Lee Wan-yong. The DPK and the JP also strongly criticized his remarks.
  
  On 16 March 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit with Yoon in Tokyo to settle wartime labor disputes among other issues. Yoon also met with Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) leader Kenta Izumi who discussed several bilateral disputes between the countries with Yoon including the Statue of Peace, which Izumi asked Yoon to remove.
  
  On 7 May 2023, Kishida visited Seoul in a historic trip to further deepen ties. Yoon emphasized that historical issues had to be "completely settled". Kishida also expressed sympathy to Korean victims of colonial Japan. However, Kishida was criticized by many South Korean media because he did not "apologize" for forced labor victims during World War II and did not mention Japan's responsibility for war crimes. Some South Korean politicians also expressed strong dissatisfaction that Kishida did not apologize.
  
  Yoon and Kishida met with Biden on 18 August 2023 at Camp David in the United States. The three announced the Camp David Principles, a set of strategies to counter the influence of China, North Korea, and Russia as well as limit the risk of economic disruptions in the future.
  
  Some sources criticized the compromise between the Japanese LDP and Yoon governments to list Sado mine as a World Heritage Site, which distorted history by removing direct references to " forced labor " by Koreans.