Japanese PM Ishiba Seeks Early Summit with South Korea’s Lee to Boost Bilateral Ties; Meeting Could Come as Early as This Month

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:33 JST, June 5, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is seeking an early in-person summit meeting with South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung, aiming to build a trusting relationship, potentially during an international conference to be held this month.

Ishiba plans to have a telephone conversation soon and intends to call for continued cooperation in diplomacy and security, including among Japan, South Korea and the United States.

While speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday, Ishiba congratulated Lee, who advocates practical diplomacy, on his inauguration speech.

“This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea. I want to strengthen Japan-South Korea and Japan-U.S.-South Korea cooperation with President Lee,” said Ishiba, adding that “a summit meeting should be held as soon as possible.”

The two leaders could potentially meet at either the Group of Seven summit in Canada or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in the Netherlands, both of which are scheduled for this month. South Korea is expected to be invited to the Group of Seven summit.

June 22 will mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, and commemorative events are scheduled in both countries.

Bearing in mind Lee’s repeated past criticism of Japan, the prime minister told reporters, “While comments have been made previously, he also referred to Japan as an important partner during the election campaign.”

“By having a heart-to-heart talk and actively engaging with each other, I believe the bilateral ties will become stronger. As the government, we will also make efforts.”

Many have expressed concern about the left wing, which has historically taken a tough stance on Japan regarding historical issues. However, in his inauguration speech, Lee emphasized practical diplomacy and mentioned “South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation.”

His comment is seen as a response to the administration of the U.S. President Donald Trump and the rapprochement between Russia and North Korea.

“Even if he may not be as eager as the previous administration [to engage with Japan], President Lee must also intend to stabilize Japan-South Korea relations given the current international climate,” a Foreign Ministry senior official said.