Politics & Government

South Korean President Lee Likely to Visit Japan in Late August

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung before their talks in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 17.

Jiji Press

15:00 JST, August 9, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese and South Korean governments are considering a plan for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to visit Japan in late August, officials from both governments said Friday.

If realized, it would be Lee’s first visit to Japan since taking office in June.

He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to affirm their policy of maintaining the trend of improving bilateral relations. They are also expected to agree to begin reciprocal visits.

The JoongAng Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, reported in its online edition Friday that Lee is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 25.

Lee’s visit to Japan is being arranged just before or just after his trip to the United States.

In June, Ishiba and Lee held their first in-person talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada, agreeing to build future-oriented relations and continue the shuttle diplomacy.

At the envisaged summit, the two leaders are expected to exchange views on North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia, China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the East and South China seas and ways to deal with the Trump administration.