Japanese news agency Kyodo says Japan’s Ambassador to South Korea Masatoshi Muto returned to Seoul on Wednesday, 12 days after he was recalled to Japan to protest South Korean President Lee Myung Bak’s visit to the Takeshima archipelago, which Seoul calls Dokdo. Speaking to reporters at Gimpo airport, Muto expressed optimism about resolve the disputes, saying Japan and South Korea has weathered difficult times in the past.