Lee’s Japan visit raises prospects for closer economic cooperation, efforts to test remains of Korean forced laborers
President Lee Jae Myung (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi play drums together during an informal meeting that followed their summit talks in Nara, Japan, on Tuesday. Pool photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday wrapped up his two-day visit to Japan that raised prospects for closer economic cooperation with Tokyo as well as efforts to test remains of Korean forced laborers.
Lee held summit talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Nara on Tuesday, their second meeting in just over two months, as the two countries face mounting challenges ranging from a volatile trade environment to a complex international order.
This week’s summit came after Lee held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing early last week amid heightened tension between Beijing and Tokyo over Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan.
China recently imposed restrictions on exports of dual-use items to Japan, raising concerns that it could choke off supplies of rare earth minerals critical to high-tech manufacturing.
Against this backdrop, Lee and Takaichi agreed to move bilateral relations forward through “future-oriented cooperation” in areas including supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI), culture and society.
They also made what Lee described as “small but meaningful progress” on historical issues, agreeing to conduct DNA analysis on remains discovered last August at the Chosei undersea coal mine in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture, where a 1942 flood killed 183 people, including 136 Korean forced laborers.
The issue of the Chosei coal mine was the first item raised by Takaichi during Tuesday’s talks, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lack said, noting the two leaders agreed to “strengthen humanitarian cooperation related to historical issues.”
The Nara summit signaled a deliberate effort to institutionalize top-level engagement, dubbed “shuttle diplomacy,” as Seoul and Tokyo — key U.S. allies in Asia — navigate diplomacy amid rising regional tensions and supply chain risks.
Concerns had persisted that ties could deteriorate under Takaichi, a conservative leader known for her hawkish views on history, but Lee’s second visit to Japan since August last year has raised cautious optimism that the two sides can find common ground while broadening economic cooperation.
During the summit talks, South Korea reaffirmed its bid to join the 12-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Wi said.
While past efforts to join the multilateral trade pact led by Tokyo were stymied by South Korea’s ban on seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the latest top-level discussions raised cautious hope for progress in upcoming consultations.
Supply chain stability was also a key topic, with the two leaders sharing a consensus on the need to cooperate in establishing stable supply chains, although Wi did not specify whether Beijing’s export controls were directly discussed.
Amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, Lee avoided taking sides and instead emphasized the need for Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing to identify common ground for cooperation in Northeast Asia.
The talks also sketched out cooperation beyond trade, with the two sides agreeing to launch working-level consultations on AI and intellectual property rights and to strengthen joint responses to transnational crimes such as online scams.
Takaichi said she would work closely with Lee to promote regional stability and supply chain security, expressing hope that the visit would further elevate bilateral ties.
Security coordination featured prominently as well.
“The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, and agreed to continue close coordination on North Korea policy,” Lee said, adding that both sides share the importance of trilateral cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
In the summit that came days after Lee posed selfies together with Xi, optics were deliberately warm.
Lee and Takaichi exchanged gifts, played drums together to K-pop songs and visited an ancient temple in Nara, a carefully choreographed display of rapport.
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