Japan PM Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Visit Horyuji Temple in Nara Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:43 JST, January 14, 2026

NARA — Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited Horyuji temple, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in the town of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, on Wednesday morning, where they viewed Japan’s national treasures that have ties to the Korean Peninsula.

Horyuji temple, considered the world’s oldest existing wooden structure, uses architectural techniques that came to Japan via the Korean Peninsula.

The temple houses numerous cultural assets that show exchanges with the peninsula, such as the national treasure Shaka Sanzon-zo (Shaka Triad) in the Kondo main hall, crafted by Buddhist sculptors who immigrated from the peninsula.

The temple symbolizes Japan-South Korea cooperation, according to a Japanese government official, and was selected as a viewing site for Takaichi and Lee.

The two leaders stayed for about an hour, viewing the Shaka Sanzon-zo, the Tamamushi Zushi Shrine, also a national treasure, and the murals in the Kondo main hall, which was damaged by a fire. They deepened their friendship by taking a photo in front of the five-storied pagoda at the temple.