Lee, Ishiba to hold summit on Aug. 23
The meeting will involve a dinner hosted by Ishiba during Lee's two-day working visit while on his way to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump on Aug. 25.
Lee's trip to Japan is meant to resume a shuttle diplomacy — through which leaders of the two countries take turns traveling to a counterpart's country frequently without diplomatic formalities — Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing at the presidential office in Seoul.
Kang also said that the meeting is expected to "deepen personal ties and trust" between Lee and Ishiba, adding that the summit will cement forward-looking bilateral cooperation and highlight the need for stronger Seoul-Tokyo ties, as well as a three-way partnership involving Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.
The announcement comes at a time when the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties through the Treaty of Basic Relations between Japan and Korea in 1965.
When asked about the implications of Lee stopping by Tokyo before his trip to Washington, Kang said the meeting "is the outcome of a schedule arrangement" and did not elaborate further.
The agenda items for the talks between Lee and Ishiba were being arranged, Kang said. However, she said, "Our people's health is our biggest concern," when asked about Japanese Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's request to lift Japanese seafood import restrictions during his recent visit to Seoul.
Lee and Ishiba officially met for the first time on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June. There, South Korea's liberal president described the two countries as "neighbors sharing a front yard."
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