Japan sends envoy to soothe ties with South Korea

Japan has sent a special envoy to meet the South Korean president-elect in Seoul, its foreign ministry says, in a move to help soothe relations.

The envoy, Fukushiro Nukaga, is expected to deliver a letter from Japan's new PM Shinzo Abe to South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye.

The two states have been involved in a prolonged row over disputed islands.

Mr Abe was sworn in last month, while Ms Park is set to assume office next month.

Diplomatic relations became tense after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit last year to the disputed islands known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

The anticipated talks have been met with some protests in South Korea. One of the demonstrators, a 63-year-old man, stabbed himself in the stomach with a knife, Reuters news agency reports.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have frequently been troubled by issues from their shared history - including Japan's use of military sex slaves or "comfort women" during the Second World War, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Many had judged that Japan's new nationalist leadership would mean further tensions on such issues, but others have pointed to the economic and security incentives for both countries to work together, our correspondent adds.

A South Korean coastguard detachment has been stationed at the disputed islands since 1954.

Both Japan and South Korea say they have long-standing historical ties to, and claims over, the island grouping.