Seoul: The Japanese Embassy in Seoul will host a reception this week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, diplomatic sources said Sunday. The event, scheduled to take place at a hotel in Seoul on Monday, is expected to be attended by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina and Akihisa Nakashima, a close aide to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

According to Yonhap News Agency, President Lee Jae-myung is unlikely to attend the ceremony in person due to a scheduling conflict, as he is set to travel to Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) summit. A presidential official mentioned that there is a possibility of Lee sending a congratulatory message. "The message will be positive, highlighting the significance of the 60th anniversary and presenting a vision for future cooperation between South Korea and Japan," the official stated on condition of anonymity.

A similar event is also scheduled to be hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday, with Ishiba "highly likely" to attend, other sources earlier said. The Tokyo reception will take place shortly after a planned bilateral meeting between Lee and Ishiba on the sidelines of the G7 summit, marking their first face-to-face talks.

During their first phone conversation earlier, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and agreed to address regional security challenges through trilateral cooperation with the United States.

Separately, another diplomatic source noted that Nakashima's visit to South Korea is aimed more at engaging with lawmakers than solely attending the anniversary event.