Ishiba, Lee to Meet in Busan on Tuesday

Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will meet in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday, the Japanese and South Korean governments said Friday. Ishiba’s trip to Busan, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, will mark the first visit by a Japanese prime minister to a South Korean area other than Seoul since Junichiro Koizumi set foot on Jeju Island in 2004. For Ishiba, it will be his first visit to South Korea since taking office in October last year. It is expected to be his last foreign visit during his tenure after he announced his resignation earlier this month. When Lee visited Japan in August, he invited Ishiba to an area of South Korea outside the capital. Ishiba aims to pass on improving Japan-South Korea relations to his successor. In their meeting, the Japanese and South Korean leaders are expected to agree to strengthen cooperation on common social issues such as regional revitalization and an aging population. The two leaders will further solidify the foundations for future-oriented cooperation between the two countries, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said. Ishiba initially planned to visit South Korea in January, but the trip was postponed due to political turmoil caused by then South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched martial law declaration. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]