Japan–South Korea relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. As the Sea of Japan and the Korea Strait geographically separate the two nations, political interactions date back from the 6th century when the kingdom of Baekje officially established relations with the Yamato Kingship of Japan. During the ancient era, the southern region of the Korean Peninsula often served as the closest port for economic trade and cultural exchange between the Japanese archipelago and mainland Asia. Such relations would continue by the late 19th century when both Japan and Korea undergo modernization from Western powers to 1910, when Korea became a colony of Japan until the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945.