Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to travel to Seoul for a summit meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on September 6-7. Yoon’s office announced that the purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the progress made in enhancing cooperation between the two countries and to explore ways to further deepen their partnership, especially with Kishida's impending resignation later in the month. The leaders are expected to reflect on the accomplishments of their collaboration over 11 rounds of summits and deliberate on the future trajectory of their bilateral, regional, and global cooperation efforts.
Since his inauguration in 2022, President Yoon has placed significant emphasis on repairing relations with Japan and fortifying security cooperation to address North Korea's military provocations, which has led to an improvement in the historically strained ties between the two nations. Yoon's diplomatic initiatives have not only facilitated a warming of relations between South Korea and Japan but have also enabled the three countries — South Korea, Japan, and the United States — to strengthen their trilateral security cooperation, showcasing a landmark summit at Camp David last year. Despite Kishida's decision to step down from office due to political controversies and economic challenges, Yoon has assured that the collaboration with Japan and the United States will persist even through the leadership changes in Tokyo and Washington.
Yoon's office stated that Kishida is anticipated to offer valuable guidance to his successor on foreign policy matters and the future advancement of bilateral relations, drawing from his tenure as Prime Minister. The upcoming summit is expected to be a platform for constructive discussions on how to build upon the existing cooperative efforts and pave the way for sustained collaboration in various domains to benefit both countries and the region.