Japan to host summit with South Korea
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in her hometown on Tuesday, in a summit meant to stabilise ties between the two sometime rivals as Japan’s worries about Chinese power in Asia grow.
The meeting is part of a swirl of diplomatic activity in a region with growing tensions. A week ago, Lee visited China, where leader Xi Jinping sought to cosy up to Seoul amid tensions between Japan and China after Takaichi said in November that potential Chinese military action against Taiwan, the island democracy Beijing claims as its own, could justify Japanese intervention. Lee’s visit also follows the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the United States, a mutual ally of Japan and South Korea.
Takaichi and Lee will meet in her hometown of Nara, Japan’s scenic ancient capital. Economy, China and Trump The talks will be their first full summit and third meeting in less than three months since Takaichi took office, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.
At their talks on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, in October, Lee reportedly asked Takaichi to meet in Nara. Their meeting will focus on trade and the challenges of China and North Korea.
Japan and South Korea must also figure out how to deal with Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy, and both countries are under US pressure to increase their defence spending. During Lee’s meetings in China, Xi called on the two countries to join hands, noting their historical rivalry against Japan in World War II.
“Given the current strategic environment, strengthening Japan-South Korea relations and reinforcing the Japan-US-South Korea cooperation is more important than ever,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Friday. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
