South Korea: Lee to visit Japan from August 23-24 for summit talks with Ishiba
Lee will make a two-day visit to Japan before travelling to Washington for his first summit with US President Donald Trump on August 25.
The visit will be Lee's first trip to Japan since taking office in early June and his second in-person meeting with Ishiba, following their talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June.
"The leaders will seek to solidify the foundation for future-oriented cooperation between the two countries, while also discussing ways to strengthen Korea-Japan and Korea-US-Japan cooperation, regional peace and stability, and other regional and global issues," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing.
"We hope this visit to Japan will further deepen their personal bonds and trust," she added.
Lee's decision to stop in Japan before visiting the US is seen as unusual, as previous South Korean Presidents have typically chosen Washington as their first destination for diplomatic talks.
In their previous meeting, Lee and Ishiba agreed to build future-oriented relations, continue "shuttle diplomacy," or regular exchanges between leaders, and bolster trilateral cooperation with the US.
Lee's pursuit of "pragmatic diplomacy" is expected to be put to the test as his visit coincides with both the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, and the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Lee has pledged to pursue a "two-track" policy of separating historical disputes from future-oriented cooperation, as Seoul and Tokyo share a consensus on the need to step up cooperation amid the changing economic and security environment.
As key Asian security allies of the US and major economic powers, both countries face rising trade uncertainties from the Trump administration's steep tariffs and mounting security threats from North Korea's growing ties with Russia.
Lee is expected to discuss Washington's trade policies with Ishiba ahead of his planned talks with Trump, given that both nations are major exporters to the US market.
The US recently began imposing 15 per cent tariffs on goods from South Korea and Japan, including automobiles, after the two Asian nations separately reached trade deals involving large investment packages and US energy purchases.
Asked whether Seoul's import restrictions on Japanese seafood would be discussed at the summit, the presidential spokesperson said Seoul and Tokyo have been arranging agenda items, including the issue, Yonhap news agency reported.
"Easing restrictions on seafood imports is more of a concern for Japan than for us," Kang said. "We will respond appropriately based on our basic position. Since our top priority is public health, this issue is currently under coordination."
South Korea banned all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima in 2013 over concerns about radiation following the 2011 nuclear meltdown and has vowed to maintain the curbs until public concerns are fully addressed.
With Lee's visits to the US and Japan now confirmed, the presidential office said it would scrap its earlier plans to send special envoys to the two countries.
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