Tokyo: President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to forge closer cooperation to cope with a vortex of changes in global trade and the security order, in their first full summit before Lee is set to hold a high-stakes summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Calling Japan a "neighbor that shares a front yard," Lee expressed hope for the two countries to work together to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, while working to minimize unnecessary conflicts.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee emphasized the need for South Korea and Japan to strengthen their cooperation as the international trade and security order fluctuates. He noted that both countries share similar positions in terms of values, order, and ideology. Prime Minister Ishiba echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of closer bilateral ties and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. Ishiba also expressed gratitude to Lee for choosing Japan as his first bilateral destination before visiting the U.S.
The summit in Tokyo comes as Lee prepares for talks with President Trump in Washington, marking a rare diplomatic move for a South Korean president, who usually selects Washington as their first diplomatic destination. This meeting with Ishiba was Lee's second in-person encounter with the Japanese Prime Minister, following their meeting at the Group of Seven summit in Canada, which Lee described as a resumption of "shuttle diplomacy."
On security issues, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and emphasized the importance of strengthening trilateral cooperation with the U.S. They issued a joint statement, the first from a bilateral summit between Seoul and Tokyo in 17 years, agreeing on the need to address North Korea's illegal cyber activities and its growing military ties with Russia. They also underscored the importance of tackling the North's nuclear and missile programs through dialogue and diplomacy.
The joint statement mentioned the establishment of a consultative body to address common challenges such as low birthrates and aging populations, and to enhance economic cooperation in advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and hydrogen energy. Lee described his visit to Tokyo as an opportunity to solidify "future-oriented" ties, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The leaders also agreed to support South Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju and Japan's hosting of the forthcoming South Korea-Japan-China summit. The discussions occurred just weeks after both nations secured separate trade deals with the U.S., which included reduced tariffs in exchange for investment commitments and increased market access. As major exporters to the U.S., South Korea and Japan face pressure from Washington to increase defense spending and contribute more to the cost of stationing American troops, alongside vulnerabilities in their auto and semiconductor industries due to potential U.S. tariff hikes.