South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday, ahead of a key summit with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders stressed the importance of setting aside past differences and cooperating on common challenges from the US.
Lee’s visit to Japan aims to prepare him for his crucial first summit in Washington with Trump, mainly on trade and defense issues. He emphasized pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest and cooperation between the countries.
The two nations agreed to work together on clean energy, artificial intelligence, low births, aging population, and disaster prevention. They also reaffirmed their efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs.
Japanese officials see Lee’s visit as a sign of his importance on relations with Japan, which has been disrupted by historical disputes. Ishiba expressed the view that cooperation between the two countries is crucial for both nations and the region.
Lee stressed the need for bilateral and trilateral cooperation with the US to address regional challenges. He also highlighted the importance of Japan in his foreign policy and agreed to pursue a virtuous cycle in which improved relations enhance trilateral cooperation.
The summit came after the leaders signaled their conciliatory approach to each other, with both sides acknowledging past grievances and expressing remorse over historical issues.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/japan-south-korea-ishiba-lee-trump-tokyo-5b0c10e77840a78d60fdde2782977c56