President Lee Jae-myung will visit Japan from the 13th to the 14th for a two-day trip. This will be his second visit to Japan, and the number of meetings with the Japanese leader will increase to five since his inauguration. The Blue House announced on the 9th that “President Lee will visit Nara Prefecture in Japan from the 13th to the 14th at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.”
President Lee will arrive in Nara on the afternoon of the 13th and hold a summit and dinner with Prime Minister Takaichi. During the summit, they will discuss ways to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields directly related to people’s livelihoods, such as regional and global issues, economy, society, and culture. On the morning of the 14th, the two leaders will participate in a friendship event, and in the afternoon, President Lee will hold a meeting with Korean residents before returning home.
The Blue House stated, “This visit is expected to solidify the future-oriented and stable development of Korea-Japan relations by realizing bilateral visits early after Prime Minister Takaichi’s inauguration and promoting shuttle diplomacy.” Previously, President Lee expressed his intention to visit Japan as part of shuttle diplomacy during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju last year.
Nara City in Nara Prefecture is Prime Minister Takaichi’s hometown and constituency. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Busan, and Prime Minister Takaichi visited Gyeongju for summits with President Lee. This time, President Lee’s visit to a local Japanese city reflects his intention to strengthen bilateral relations.