Leading opinion leaders from Japan and South Korea will meet at a Tokyo forum June 21 to discuss the future prospects for bilateral relations on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two neighboring countries.

A total of 14 Japanese and 13 South Korean politicians, diplomats, scholars, journalists and other prominent figures will attend the Third Japan-Korea Future Dialogue forum, organized by The Genron NPO, a not-for-profit independent think tank in Japan, and the East Asia Institute (EAI), a leading think tank in South Korea.

The one-day forum will be held under the theme of "Visions and Mutual Cooperation for the Future of Japan and South Korea," just one day before the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries being normalized.

Headed by Kazuo Ogoura, former ambassador to South Korea, the Japanese delegation includes Keiichiro Asao, a member of the House of Representatives, Yoriko Kawaguchi, former minister of foreign affairs, Ichiro Fujisaki, a former Japanese ambassador to the United States and currently a distinguished visiting professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, and Kazuhiko Yamamoto, president and CEO of Mori Urban Planning Corp.

The South Korean delegation is headed by Shin Kak-soo, a former South Korean ambassador to Japan and currently chairman of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy's Center for International Law. The delegation includes Kim Se-yeon of the Saenuri party and Choi Jae-cheon of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, both members of the National Assembly, Cho Sei-young, a former director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau and currently an adjunct professor of the Faculty of International Studies at Dongseo University in Busan, Yeom Jae-ho, president of Korea University (KU), Cho Sei-young, an adjunct professor of the Faculty of International Studies, Dongseo University, and Kang Chan-soo, a former CEO of KTB Investment & Securities Co.

The forum will consist of a first session devoted to the theme of a "Basic Understanding of Each Other's Country, as Seen by the Japan-Korea Joint Opinion Survey," and a second session on "Is the Bilateral Relationship Truly Important for Each Country?"

The first session is to be moderated by Lee Sook-jong, president of the EAI, and the second by Yasushi Kudo, president of The Genron NPO.