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Korea and Japan will hold a rare meeting in Tokyo on Friday to discuss the joint development of Block 7, an area located on the continental shelf of the East China Sea, marking the first such talks in nearly four decades.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday, this will be the sixth meeting of the joint committee established under the Korea-Japan Agreement on Joint Development of the Southern Part of the Continental Shelf, commonly known as the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) Agreement.

The fifth meeting took place in 1985.

In effect since 1978, the agreement was designed to facilitate joint resource exploration and development in designated areas of the continental shelf between the two countries, approximately 200 kilometers south of Jeju Island.

However, since the 1990s, progress has stalled due to Japan's reluctance to pursue further exploration, as it perceives the area's resource potential to be lower than Korea's assessments. Japan has not officially designated operators for additional exploration since 1993.

"While it is significant that this meeting is taking place after a nearly four-decade hiatus, convening the joint committee does not automatically lead to resumed joint development, nor can we expect all outstanding issues related to the agreement to be resolved in one meeting," a ministry official said during a closed-door briefing.

The official emphasized that the Korean government has been in regular communication with Tokyo across multiple channels and is thoroughly reviewing various scenarios related to the agreement.

This meeting comes as the agreement approaches a critical juncture. From June 2025, either party can formally declare its intent to extend or terminate the agreement, which is set to expire in June 2028.

"Even if the JDZ agreement is terminated, Block 7 will not vanish. The waters in that area will remain where the maritime boundaries of Korea and Japan overlap. According to international law and relevant U.N. conventions, in cases of overlapping boundaries, neither party can unilaterally develop the area or draw a boundary to claim it," the ministry official explained.

Korean officials are said to have been more proactive than their Japanese counterparts in reaching out to arrange Friday's meeting.

The resumption of talks concerning the JDZ is expected to gain significant attention, as some observers have expressed concerns that the continental shelf could become a new flash point in Korea-Japan relations, despite recent improvements in ties following diplomatic efforts to address historical grievances.