Japanese Prime Minister to Visit South Korea Starting on September 30
The Japanese government announced that Prime Minister Ishiba Shun'ei plans to visit South Korea from September 30 to October 1. During the visit, Prime Minister Ishiba will hold talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea. This is part of the "diplomacy of shuttle visits" between the two heads of state, following President Yoon's recent visit to Japan, and it is a practice of the "diplomacy of shuttle visits" where the two heads of state frequently visit each other without being bound by formality.
Although Prime Minister Ishiba has stated his intention to resign, he hopes to confirm that after the establishment of the new Japanese government, the "diplomacy of shuttle visits" and a stable Japan-South Korea relationship can continue.
This is the first visit of Prime Minister Ishiba to South Korea since assuming office. When the two heads of state held talks in Tokyo in late August, President Yoon expressed a desire for the next meeting to be held in a city in South Korea.
The summit is expected to take place in Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. In addition to commemorating the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-South Korea relations and discussing cooperation between the two countries, both sides are expected to discuss common issues such as addressing population decline and excessive concentration of the capital, achieving regional peace and stability, and promoting Japan-South Korea and Japan-US-South Korea trilateral cooperation. They will also discuss the successful hosting of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea next month, which will be attended by the newly elected prime minister of Japan.
The South Korean presidential office also announced on September 26 that Prime Minister Ishiba will begin a two-day visit to South Korea on the 30th, including a summit meeting and a dinner with President Yoon. The South Korean side said that through this meeting, the two heads of state will further consolidate the foundation of cooperation between the two countries, strengthen measures for Japan-South Korea and Japan-US-South Korea cooperation for regional peace and stability, and exchange views on issues of mutual concern.
According to South Korean sources, this bilateral visit by the Japanese prime minister to areas outside Seoul is the first since former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held talks with President Roh Moo-hyun in Jeju in 2004, marking the first time in 21 years.
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844533201144842/
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