As Japan’s Leader Goes to Seoul, South Koreans Are All Ears

As Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan arrived in Seoul on Sunday to nurture a fledgling détente between the neighboring countries, South Koreans were waiting intently for what he had to say about Japan’s brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula in the early 20th century. Mr. Kishida’s two-day trip follows a visit in March by South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, to Tokyo. It means that shuttle diplomacy between two key U.S. allies is back on track after regular exchanges between the countries’ leaders ended abruptly in 2011 over historical differences.

tips

Seoul：首尔

nurture：养育；培养（nurse 护理）

fledging：刚学会飞的幼鸟；无经验的人（fledge 长羽毛；full fledge 成熟的）

detente：【国际关系】缓和

intend：计划；打算（intend to do）

intent：意图；专心的；决心的

intently：一心一意的

brutal：残忍的；不讲理的

colonial：殖民地的（colony 殖民）

shuttle：来往两地的航班（班车，火车）；v. 穿梭运送

diplomacy：外交；交际手段

shuttle diplomacy：定期交流外交

ally：盟友（复数 allies）

abrupt：突然的；陡峭的