Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to visit Seoul on September 6-7 for a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The summit aims to review the progress made in strengthening cooperation between Japan and South Korea and to discuss ways to further deepen their partnership, particularly in the context of Kishida’s upcoming resignation later this month.
President Yoon’s office emphasized that the leaders would reflect on the achievements from their 11 previous summits and explore the future direction of bilateral, regional, and global cooperation. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has prioritized mending ties with Japan and enhancing security cooperation to address military threats from North Korea, leading to a significant improvement in relations between the two neighboring countries.
Yoon’s diplomatic efforts have also facilitated closer trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States, culminating in a historic summit at Camp David last year. Despite Kishida’s decision to step down, Yoon assured that the cooperation among the three nations would continue, regardless of changes in leadership in Tokyo and Washington.
Kishida, who has decided to end his three-year term amid political scandals and rising living costs, is expected to offer constructive advice to his successor on foreign policy and the future development of Japan-South Korea relations during his visit to Seoul.