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President Lee Jae-myung smiles as he switches seats with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a Korea-Japan summit at the G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 17. / Source: Yonhap News

The presidential office said Monday that South Korea and Japan are expected to maintain positive relations even after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation.

In a statement, the office noted that both nations “share broad consensus on the future-oriented and stable development of bilateral relations” and expressed confidence that ties will remain constructive despite Ishiba’s departure.

At the same time, the office declined to comment directly on Japan’s internal politics, saying it was “closely monitoring developments” but would not speak on domestic matters.

Ishiba, who faced pressure to step down following his party’s defeat in July’s upper house elections, told an emergency press conference on Sept. 7 that he had decided to resign, saying, “Now that a key stage in tariff negotiations with the U.S. has passed, I believe it is the right time to hand over to my successor.”

While Ishiba was regarded as a relatively moderate, pro-Korean figure, concerns have been raised that potential successors lean further to the right, particularly on historical issues, which could complicate bilateral relations.

President Lee Jae-myung first met Ishiba at the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada, in June, followed by a second summit in Tokyo in August.