Tokyo: President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as he seeks to expand cooperation with Tokyo before his pivotal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump early next week.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Saturday summit with Ishiba precedes Lee's trip to Washington for high-stakes discussions with Trump, marking a rare diplomatic move for South Korean presidents who typically prioritize Washington as their first diplomatic destination post-inauguration. This visit to Tokyo represents Lee's second in-person meeting with Ishiba, following their encounter during the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June.
In a joint written interview with four Japanese newspapers-Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Nikkei, and Sankei Shimbun-released earlier in the day, Lee emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with Japan in security and economic sectors. He described his visit as an opportunity to solidify a "future-oriented" foundation for Korea-Japan relations, especially as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Lee highlighted the dual aspects of confrontation and cooperation present in Korea-Japan relations, stressing the importance of identifying mutually beneficial elements. "There is no need to abandon the beneficial aspects because of certain negative ones," he noted in the interview.
On Sunday, Lee is scheduled to meet with Japanese lawmakers in the morning before departing for Washington for his summit with Trump the following day.