President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed on August 23 to pursue a “future-oriented” relationship between South Korea and Japan, adopting a joint press statement that includes the resumption of shuttle diplomacy. The summit, held just ahead of Lee’s first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, is seen as an effort to secure Japan’s cooperation through stabilizing bilateral ties. No meaningful progress was made on historical issues.

The talks between Lee and Ishiba lasted one hour and 55 minutes at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo. It was the first time since the normalization of relations in 1965 that a South Korean president chose Japan as the destination for his first bilateral visit. For the first time in 17 years, the two leaders issued a joint press statement, emphasizing strengthened cooperation and exchanges with a future-oriented outlook.

At a press conference, President Lee said, “This shows that South Korea–Japan relations have swiftly returned to a normal track following the restoration of democratic governance in the Republic of Korea. I hope shuttle diplomacy, where leaders visit and hold talks freely without being bound by formalities, will take root as a new model of diplomacy between our two countries.”

The joint statement laid out measures to expand cooperation across the economy, society, culture, and environment. The two sides agreed to join forces in future industries such as hydrogen and artificial intelligence (AI), while also launching an intergovernmental consultative body to address common challenges such as low birth rates, population aging and decline, regional revitalization, and metropolitan overconcentration.

They reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, pledging continued coordination on North Korea policy. They also confirmed that the North Korean nuclear and missile issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy. At the press conference, Ishiba warned against “attempts to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion,” in remarks interpreted as cautioning against China’s growing regional influence. President Lee, however, did not comment on the issue.

During a smaller meeting, the leaders spent significant time discussing U.S.-related trade issues, including tariff negotiations. Lee’s decision to visit Japan before his U.S. summit reflected his intention to draw on Japan’s experience in trade talks to strengthen his own negotiating position. They also agreed to bolster bilateral coordination and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. amid the international realignment driven by President Trump’s policies.

No progress was made on historical disputes. Ishiba only noted that his government “as a whole upholds the positions of previous cabinets regarding historical recognition, including the joint declaration between Japan and South Korea and made by then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and then President Kim Dae-jung in 1998.” Observers see the summit as having prioritized “pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest,” in Lee’s words, such as building a future-oriented partnership with Japan and responding to tariff negotiations with the U.S., over historical issues.

Concluding his two-day visit to Japan, President Lee departed for the U.S. on August 24. He is scheduled to hold a summit with President Trump in Washington on August 25 (local time).