January 15, 2026
SEOUL – Tuesday’s summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Nara, Japan, was their second since her inauguration in October.
Their first summit took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in late October.
It is notable that South Korea and Japan have held two summits within three months through reciprocal leader-level visits under what they call “shuttle diplomacy.”
For South Korea, relations with Japan carry greater weight than those with any other country, given their shared geopolitical neighborhood.
In security terms, Japan stands with South Korea and the United States against North Korea, China and Russia, while also remaining an essential partner in economic cooperation.
However, historical issues have repeatedly emerged as a stumbling block in bilateral relations. They have at times turned frosty over issues stemming from Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, including visits to Yasukuni Shrine and Japan’s sovereignty claims over the Dokdo islets.
But amid mounting global uncertainty, both countries would be wise to pursue a forward-looking course focused on future development. In this sense, it is encouraging to see Lee actively engage in summit diplomacy with South Korea’s two neighbors — China and Japan — through visits spaced a week apart.
The latest summit unfolded at a moment of rising Sino-Japanese tension, highlighted by Beijing’s tightened controls on rare-earth exports to Japan following Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks on a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Lee held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping just eight days before those held with Takaichi.
The president reportedly told Xi that ties with Japan matter as much to South Korea as those with China. During his summit with Takaichi, he said that South Korea, China and Japan should seek common ground and build communication and cooperation.
Lee’s decision not to directly mention Taiwan was a wise one. In clashes between Beijing and Tokyo, taking either side entails considerable risk and requires caution.
His call for trilateral cooperation signals Seoul’s intent to position itself as an intermediary in Beijing-Tokyo tensions. On the other hand, Takaichi emphasized South Korea-US-Japan cooperation, but made no mention of South Korea-China-Japan communication. Mediation for dialogue has value, but its prospects remain uncertain.
Even so, close Seoul-Tokyo ties must be maintained to balance a powerful China in East Asia and safeguard democracy and regional peace.
The two leaders agreed to pursue closer cooperation across a broad agenda, including North Korea’s denuclearization, economic and security cooperation, supply chains, and joint efforts to combat international crime. In effect, they underscored the need to look ahead and expand cooperation, instead of remaining bound by past conflicts. The momentum must now be carried forward through sustained working-level talks.
The agreement on humanitarian cooperation to recover remains from the Chosei undersea coal mine in Japan represents meaningful progress in addressing historical issues. In 1942, during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, the mine in Yamaguchi prefecture was flooded by a water leak, claiming 183 lives, including 136 Korean forced laborers. The two governments agreed to begin working-level consultations on DNA analysis to identify the remains discovered last August.
Differences remain in historical perspectives, but the imperative is to move forward. This does not mean forgetting the past. Both sides should seek to build synergy by deepening security and economic cooperation, even as managing historical issues through separate tracks.
In the past, Lee at times voiced historical views sharply critical of Japan. Takaichi is known as a right-wing hard-liner with a record of visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. Yet since taking office, both leaders have placed greater emphasis on strengthening South Korea-Japan relations.
Despite their ideological differences, however, Lee and Takaichi must lay a firm foundation for economic and security cooperation through sustained shuttle diplomacy. Summits remain the most effective way to resolve disputes and advance relations.