Leaders of South Korea and Japan met in Tokyo for nearly two hours and pledged to set aside bilateral differences and pursue close partnership. They issued the first joint statement in 17 years committing to develop stable, future-oriented ties across artificial intelligence, industry and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Defense ministers are scheduled to meet in Seoul on September 8, marking the first such meeting in over a decade. Tokyo and Seoul plan a joint taskforce to tackle shared challenges including low birth rates and rural revitalization. South Korea's President Lee shifted toward pragmatic diplomacy, calling Japan an indispensable and suitable neighbor and partner.
South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung and Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba talked for nearly two hours in Tokyo before publicly pledging to leave aside their differences and work as close partners. In the first joint statement in the last 17 years, they pledged to develop "stable, future-oriented" ties in many areas, including artificial intelligence, industry and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Tokyo summit seemed to have a remarkably positive atmosphere, at least between the two leaders. "This is our second meeting. I feel that we are close friends," South Korea's Lee said of Japan's Ishiba, adding that Japan is "the most suitable partner" to tackle urgent issues. And this is somewhat of a turnaround for Lee, who decried his own predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol as a "Tokyo puppet" for taking part in a similar meeting in 2023.
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