President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will maintain talks throughout Kishida’s two-day go to to South Korea from Friday, in what can be his last one-on-one with Yoon earlier than his deliberate departure from his submit, the presidential workplace introduced Tuesday.
Yoon’s workplace mentioned in a notice to reporters that the talks will spotlight the previous achievements via bilateral cooperation and methods to spice up ties between the 2 East Asian international locations in bilateral, regional and worldwide ranges.
Yoon’s workplace didn’t elaborate on Kishida’s itinerary, such because the estimated assembly date. A supply from the presidential workplace mentioned it was coordinating the agenda for the talks.
The upcoming talks will probably be the final summit of the 2 leaders, as Kishida introduced on Aug. 14 that he wouldn’t be operating in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidential nominee election in late September. Yoon’s workplace expressed expectations that Kishida would provide “constructive advice” to his successor on how one can enhance the bilateral relationship.
Kishida’s visits to his allies like South Korea simply earlier than his resignation “is designed to show off his past diplomatic achievements and express Japan’s commitment to maintaining diplomatic ties even after a transition of power,” mentioned Choi Eun-mi, analysis fellow of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies devoted to Korea-Japan relations.
She added the summit was “unlikely to draw up something new” given the time constraint for Kishida.
Kishida has remained unpopular over the previous few months as a scandal involving an alleged misuse of the Japanese ruling social gathering’s marketing campaign funds undermined public belief within the prime minister.
Yoon and Kishida have met 11 instances because the two international locations restored ties in March 2023. The two leaders promised to fulfill extra regularly than up to now with out essentially going via diplomatic formalities, via what South Korea dubbed “shuttle diplomacy.”
Earlier on Thursday, Yoon, whose approval rankings are additionally low, mentioned in a news convention that Kishida’s go to to Seoul “has not been confirmed,” however added his go to “would be welcomed.”
The Yoon administration’s gesture for rapprochement — which Yoon thought of a essential step to three-way cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to push North Korea’s denuclearization — got here amid long-running historic and territorial disputes between the 2 international locations. Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Soon after South Korea supplied to again a fund to compensate victims of compelled labor in Japan, Yoon visited Tokyo in March 2023, and Kishida reciprocated Yoon’s go to by going to Seoul in May 2023.
The two leaders have met on 9 extra events, together with the current assembly on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington in July.
As the 2 leaders’ relationship developed, Japan began releasing handled radioactive waters from its crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear energy plant off its east coast, whereas its Sado Island Gold Mines, which is linked to South Korean compelled labor, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage websites with out South Korea’s objections. South Korea, however, was reinstated to Japan’s commerce whitelist, just about placing an finish to the commerce dispute.
The two leaders, nonetheless, haven’t issued a joint assertion regarding the previous historic dispute, sparking fierce debate over whether or not Yoon had hinged on a one-sided concession in his strategy to his Japan diplomacy.
“The prospect for Japan’s new prime minister (resolving to end) historical disputes does not seem bright,” Choi mentioned. “From South Korea’s standpoint, we are seeing room for Japan’s further concessions (to resolve historical issues), but it’s not a popular opinion in Japan.”