Politics & Government

Prime Minister Kishida to Cancel Planned Visit to South Korea in March; Cites Scheduling Conflicts

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is seen at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:57 JST, March 2, 2024

The government has decided to cancel a planned visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to South Korea, which was slated for March 20.

Japan had sought to hold a meeting between Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to coincide with the Summit for Democracy to be hosted by the South Korean government.

However, coordinating schedules with Seoul could not be made, leading to the cancellation.

A high-ranking official of the South Korean presidential office explained to reporters Friday that there are no plans to hold a Japan-South Korea summit within March.

The official said, “It is a spirit of shuttle diplomacy [between Japan and South Korea] that they can visit each other anytime when a meeting suits their schedules,” suggesting a rescheduling of the bilateral summit.