Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has reportedly expressed concerns Seoul-Tokyo relations may further deteriorate. 

TV Asahi on Wednesday quoted a source as saying the de-facto leader of Samsung Group made the remark in a meeting with representatives of Japan’s major banks during his ongoing visit to Japan. 

Noting the approaching anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee reportedly said he is worried more South Korean consumers will join boycotts of Japanese products and anti-Japan rallies. 

Some watchers are interpreting the comments as a veiled warning that Japan's trade restrictions against South Korea could create a vicious cycle in which Japanese companies also suffer damages. 

Lee flew to Tokyo on Sunday after the Japanese government removed South Korea from a list of countries that receive preferential treatment in exporting high-tech materials used for semiconductors and displays in apparent retaliation for South Korean top court decisions over Japan’s wartime forced labor.