Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are expected to agree that the two countries’ leaders will continue “shuttle diplomacy” or mutual visits to each other’s country, at a meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Ishiba wants to ensure that Japan and South Korea maintain stable relations even after he steps down.
“We need to have the shuttle diplomacy take root. It’s important to maintain stable ties with South Korea under the left-leaning Lee administration,” a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
Ishiba will travel to South Korea for the first time since he took office last October. This will possibly be his last foreign trip as prime minister after he announced his resignation earlier this month.
The two leaders first met in Canada in June, and Lee visited Japan for the first time on Aug. 23 for talks with Ishiba.
