South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pose for a photo ahead of their talks at the Group of Seven summit venue in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 17, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – President Lee Jae Myung will visit Japan from Aug. 23-24 for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to discuss ways to advance bilateral relations and trilateral partnership with the United States, the presidential office said Wednesday.
Lee will make a two-day visit to Japan before traveling to Washington for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 25.
The visit will be Lee’s first trip to Japan since taking office in early June and his second in-person meeting with Ishiba, following their talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June.
“The leaders will seek to solidify the foundation for future-oriented cooperation between the two countries, while also discussing ways to strengthen Korea-Japan and Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation, regional peace and stability, and other regional and global issues,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing.
“We hope this visit to Japan will further deepen their personal bonds and trust,” she added.
Lee’s decision to stop in Japan before visiting the U.S. is seen as unusual, as previous South Korean presidents have typically chosen Washington as their first destination for diplomatic talks.
In their previous meeting, Lee and Ishiba agreed to build future-oriented relations, continue “shuttle diplomacy,” or regular exchanges between leaders, and bolster trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
Lee has pledged to pursue a “two-track” policy of separating historical disputes from future-oriented cooperation, as Seoul and Tokyo share a consensus on the need to step up cooperation amid the changing economic and security environment.
As key Asian security allies of the U.S. and major economic powers, both countries face rising trade uncertainties from the Trump administration’s steep tariffs and mounting security threats from North Korea’s growing ties with Russia.
Lee’s pursuit of “pragmatic diplomacy” is expected to be put to the test as his visit coincides with both the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, and the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
(Yonhap)
AloJapan.com