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Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that President Lee Jae-myung and Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae are coordinating their summit for October 30, ahead of the APEC leaders’ meetings in Gyeongju. / Source: Yonhap News

South Korea and Japan are arranging a summit between President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae for October 30, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun on Tuesday.

The newspaper said Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to arrive in South Korea on the 30th to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, which officially opens on the 31st, and will hold a bilateral meeting with President Lee during her visit.

Known for her conservative stance, Takaichi has recently emphasized the importance of cooperation with Seoul, with Japanese media predicting that she will highlight the value of bilateral ties during the talks.

Takaichi, who has routinely visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals from World War II are enshrined, reportedly refrained from attending this year’s autumn festival at the shrine from October 17 to 19, taking into account relations with South Korea and China.

President Lee earlier congratulated Takaichi on her inauguration through a Facebook message on October 21, saying, “I look forward to meeting the Prime Minister in Gyeongju and engaging in constructive dialogue.” He also expressed hope that the two countries could “strengthen future-oriented, mutually beneficial cooperation” and continue the “shuttle diplomacy” revived under former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Senior Presidential Secretary Wi Sung-rak visited Tokyo on October 21–22 to meet Japanese political and government figures, including Ichikawa Keiichi, head of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, to discuss the importance of maintaining stable bilateral relations.

Wi also met with former Prime Ministers Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga during ASEAN-related summit events, noting that both “shared productive views” on the future of the relationship. “Mr. Aso, in particular, has close ties with the current administration, and we exchanged positive opinions on how to advance Korea-Japan relations,” Wi said.