South Korean President calls for close cooperation with Japan

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on  Wednesday called for close cooperation between South Korea and Japan  for peace and prosperity in the region and beyond as he sent a congratulatory message to Japan's new leader, Shinzo Abe. Abe was elected Japan's new prime minister by Japan's lower house of parliament earlier in the day. His election came after his Liberal Democratic Party won the Dec. 16 general elections, and has raised concern he could seek nationalistic policies that could worsen Tokyo’s already tense relations with South Korea and China. "South Korea and Japan have engaged in close cooperation and exchanges as close neighbors and friendly nations," Lee said in the message. "South Korea and Japan cooperating in a future-oriented manner is important for peace and prosperity for both countries, Northeast Asia and the world, and I look forward to cooperating closely and working hard for this." Lee also sent a separate message to outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, praising Noda's efforts to overcome the 2010  earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster and noting that the two countries have worked together on North Korea and other international issues, South Korea's (Yonhap) News reported. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have fallen to one of the lowest levels in decades after Lee paid an unprecedented visit in August to  South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo that Japan has claimed as its own territory. The two countries have also been at odds over Japan's refusal to accept Seoul's demand that the former colonial ruler take steps to address the long-running grievances of elderly Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.