NAGOYA, Japan, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister said he plans to discuss the contentious issue of wartime labourers on the Korean peninsula at a meeting with his South Korean counterpart on Saturday, a day after Seoul pulled back from the brink an intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo.

The comments from Toshimitsu Motegi, at a news conference during a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in the central Japanese city of Nagoya, are the latest sign the two Asian nations may be moving to improve ties.

A long-burning historical dispute - particularly about the issue of forced labour on the Korean peninsula during World War Two - has damaged relations between the two U.S. allies. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Neil Fullick)