President Lee Arrives in Japan, to Hold Summit with Prime Minister Takaichi in the Afternoon (Comprehensive)

Financial News, Seoul and Osaka (Japan) – Choi Jong-geun, Sung Seok-wooPresident Lee Jae-myung of South Korea on the 13th began a two-day, one-night visit to Japan for a summit meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan.
President Lee arrived at Kansai International Airport in Japan on Code One on the morning of the same day. To welcome the presidential couple from the South Korean side were Ambassador Lee Hyuk, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan, and his spouse; Lee Young-chae, Consul General in Osaka, and his spouse; and Kim Myong-hong, head of the Osaka Headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan. From the Japanese side, those in attendance included Eri Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; Mizushima Koichi, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Korea; and Benoît Roulot, Vice President of Kansai Airports Company.
In the afternoon, President Lee is scheduled to hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi. The South Korea–Japan summit will take place in Nara Prefecture, Japan, which is both the hometown and electoral district of Prime Minister Takaichi. During their South Korea–Japan summit held in Gyeongju last October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, President Lee conveyed to Prime Minister Takaichi his wish that, "In keeping with the spirit of shuttle diplomacy, I should visit Japan next, and if possible, I would like to go to Nara Prefecture."
This will be the third meeting between President Lee and Prime Minister Takaichi, following their encounters at last year’s APEC summit and the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in December.
Upon his arrival in Nara Prefecture on this day, President Lee will first hold a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi, followed by an expanded summit, a joint press announcement, and then a dinner. On the 14th, the two leaders plan to engage in friendship-building activities, including a visit to the cultural heritage site Horyu-ji Temple (Hōryū-ji Temple). President Lee will then attend a meeting with Korean residents in Japan before returning home. As this visit comes immediately after his four-day state visit to China from the 4th to the 7th, during which he held a South Korea–China summit with Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, it is expected to serve as an opportunity to solidify the framework of South Korea–Japan shuttle diplomacy.

Amid escalating tensions between China and Japan, attention is focused on what kind of discussions the South Korean and Japanese leaders will have regarding this issue. There is also keen interest in whether the long-standing historical disputes between the two countries will be taken up.
In addition, the issue of South Korea’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is also expected to be discussed. In an interview with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) on the 12th, President Lee said, "The issue of Japan’s imports of marine products is highly likely to become an important agenda item," adding, "Although it will be difficult in the short term, I believe it is a key topic that must be actively discussed as part of cooperation for South Korea’s accession to the CPTPP."
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a multilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) formed by countries in the Asia-Pacific region and launched in 2018. Its current members are 12 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the Republic of Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (UK).
cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun, Sung Seok-woo Reporter