Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit South Korea for a two-day trip starting September 30, attending a summit with President Lee Jae-myung in Busan.

On September 26, Kang Yu-jeong, spokesperson for the Office of the President, officially announced the visit during a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office. “Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan will visit Korea from September 30 to October 1 at the invitation of President Lee Jae-myung,” Kang stated, confirming that the leaders will meet in Busan for a series of Japan-Korea summit events.

Spokesperson Kang emphasized that this visit follows the resumption of shuttle diplomacy between both nations in August, during which the two leaders agreed to meet in Korea soon. “At the time, President Lee proposed that the meeting be held outside of Seoul, suggesting a regional location,” she added.

Kang further noted the significance of the upcoming summit, stating, "It has been 21 years since a Japanese prime minister, other than for multilateral events, has visited a Korean city outside of Seoul for a bilateral meeting— the last time being when Junichiro Koizumi met President Roh Moo-hyun in Jeju Island in 2004.”

The summit is expected to lay a firmer foundation for future-oriented cooperation between Japan and Korea. “The leaders will exchange candid views on ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan, and the United States for peace and stability in the region, as well as discuss regional and global issues of mutual concern,” Kang explained.

This marks the third summit between President Lee and Prime Minister Ishiba. Their first meeting took place in Canada during the G7 summit in June, followed by a second meeting in August when President Lee visited Japan prior to the Korea-U.S. summit.

Meanwhile, as Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his intention to resign in early September, this visit is anticipated to serve as his farewell diplomatic engagement.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News