Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba says he hopes that Japan's handover of cultural artifacts to South Korea will improve public sentiment on both sides.

During its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, Japan brought back 1,205 ancient books dating back to Korea's Joseon Dynasty.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda handed over 5 of them to President Lee Myung-bak during a visit to Seoul in October. The remaining 1,200 were put on an airplane to South Korea on Tuesday.

Gemba said overall bilateral ties are multilayered and the 2 countries share a mutual interest so after viewing these points comprehensively, the decision was made to hand over the artifacts.

Gemba said while outstanding issues remain between the 2 countries, he hopes that this move will lead to an improvement in relations.

Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111206_18.html

Image credit: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/meibo/daijin/images/gemba.jpg