日韓、１２月第３週に政策対話　３年半ぶり、輸出管理協議

　日韓両政府は２９日、日本の対韓輸出管理厳格化措置をめぐる局長級の政策対話を１２月第３週に東京で開くとそれぞれ発表した。政策対話の開催は２０１６年夏以来３年半ぶり。双方の貿易管理体制について意見交換し、懸案の解決を目指す。
　対話に先立ち１２月４日にオーストリア・ウィーンで局長級の準備会合を開催。１２月下旬の開催を見込む日韓首脳会談に向け、関係改善の糸口を探る。
　経済産業省は日韓で対話が実施されず、韓国の貿易管理体制に懸念があるとして、７月に半導体材料の対韓輸出規制を厳格化。８月には韓国を輸出手続きの優遇対象国から除外した。
　梶山弘志経産相は２９日、閣議後の記者会見で「全ての懸案について良い方向に行く前提で話し合う」と述べ、韓国に対する厳格化措置全てと韓国側の体制を議題に挙げる意向を示した。韓国当局の高官はソウルでの会見で、日本側の措置撤回に向け「最大限努力する」と表明した。（2019/11/29-11:05）

The Japanese and South Korean governments announced Friday that they will hold a bureau chief-level policy dialogue concerning Japan's tightened export controls on South Korea in the third week of December in Tokyo.
   The two sides will exchange opinions on their respective trade management regimes and seek to reach a settlement on the dispute in a bid to mend their soured ties in the run-up to an expected summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in late December.
   It would be the first Tokyo-Seoul policy dialogue since summer 2016. A preparatory meeting between bureau chief-level officials from both countries will be held in Vienna on Wednesday.
   Japan's trade ministry tightened controls on exports of semiconductor materials to South Korea in July, after talks stalled between the two Asian neighbors and the ministry found potential flaws in Seoul's trade management regime. Japan also removed South Korea from its list of trusted trading partners qualified for preferential treatment in export procedures in August.
   "We'll hold discussions on the assumption that we'll move for the better on all issues," Japanese trade minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said at a press conference on Friday, suggesting that all of the Japanese trade measures against South Korea and Seoul's trade management system will be taken up at the policy dialogue.