The governments of Japan and South Korea are making arrangements to hold a bilateral summit in Nara, western Japan, as early as mid-January. Nara is Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s home prefecture.
In October, Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met for the first time in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. They also held talks in November in South Africa on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit.
During those meetings, they agreed to develop bilateral relations in a future-oriented and stable manner. They also agreed to continue to visit each other and engage in what they describe as “shuttle diplomacy.”
Lee said in the October meeting that it would be his turn to visit Japan next, and that he wanted to meet Takaichi in a city outside Tokyo.
Observers believe Takaichi wants to invite Lee to her home prefecture in order to ramp up trust.
The governments are expected to arrange the date for the summit. They will take the Diet’s schedule and other matters into consideration.
AloJapan.com