Japan PM Ishiba Mulls S. Korea Visit Late This Month

Tokyo, Sept. 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting South Korea in late September to hold talks with President Lee Jae-myung, Japanese government sources said Tuesday.

The trip, if realized, would be Ishiba's first visit to South Korea since taking office in October last year. It would also be part of the "shuttle diplomacy" between the two countries, following a visit to Japan by the South Korean president late last month.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-South Korea ties. Ishiba, who recently announced his resignation, seems intent on passing the momentum of improving bilateral relations to the new administration.

At the envisaged summit, the two leaders are expected to reaffirm the importance of security cooperation, including responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile development, both between Japan and South Korea and among the two nations and the United States.

Ishiba and Lee are also expected to exchange views on Japan-South Korea economic cooperation in response to the high tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as on promoting interpersonal exchanges.

In the Ishiba-Lee summit held on Aug. 23 in Tokyo, Lee voiced hopes of inviting the Japanese prime minister to a South Korean regional city, saying that Ishiba had extensive knowledge in the field of regional revitalization.

Then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is Ishiba's immediate predecessor, visited South Korea in September last year after announcing his plans to quit. In a meeting between Kishida and then President Yoon Suk-yeol, the two agreed that their two nations would maintain cooperation.

Prior to his envisaged trip to South Korea, Ishiba is set to attend the ongoing U.N. General Assembly session in New York. In his speech there, Ishiba is expected to touch on his views regarding the 80th anniversary this year of the end of World War II.
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