South Korea and Japan are teaming up to arrange a key visit next week, as Japan’s outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heads to the southern city of Busan to meet South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
A Seoul official shared on Thursday that the two nations are finalizing details for Ishiba’s trip at the end of September. More info will come once everything’s set, according to Yonhap News Agency. The visit should kick off on Tuesday and last two days.
If it goes ahead, this trip would mark a nice back-and-forth in South Korea-Japan relations. Just last month, President Lee stopped in Japan before flying to the US for talks with President Donald Trump. Since taking office in June, Lee has promised to keep warming ties with Tokyo while pushing for stronger trilateral cooperation with the United States. At the same time, he’s committed to tackling tough historical issues from Japan’s colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945.
Lee even shook things up by making Japan his first overseas stop as president, skipping the usual US visit to show his focus on building those alliances.
This could be Ishiba’s final big move as prime minister. He stepped down earlier this month after his Liberal Democratic Party suffered heavy losses in elections—first in the lower house last October, then the upper house in July. The party plans to pick a new leader on October 4.
The timing ties into broader regional moves. On September 23, top diplomats from South Korea, the US, and Japan met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reaffirmed their strong push for North Korea’s denuclearization and the need to keep sanctions tight on Pyongyang.
In a joint statement, they stressed sticking to UN Security Council resolutions to denuclearize the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name). They also highlighted ongoing efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and diplomacy, while urging a united front against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
This comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has signaled he’s willing to talk with the Trump administration—but only if the US drops its demand for full denuclearization. Kim made it clear he has no plans to give up his nuclear arsenal.
The diplomats vowed to work together and team up with other countries to enforce sanctions and counter any violations, aiming to keep stability in the region amid North Korea’s threats.
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