Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan (left) shakes palms with President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea throughout a go to to the Horyu Temple in Japan’s Nara Prefecture on Jan. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up his two-day go to to Japan on Wednesday with a pleasant outing to the historic Horyu Temple with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Lee’s go to to Japan is being touted as having positioned South Korea-Japan shuttle diplomacy again on a wholesome trajectory, whereas additionally upgrading the extent of belief between the 2 nations.
Nonetheless, a lot work stays to be performed, together with deeper discussions of historic points and the tentatively addressed matter of Korea’s bid to affix the Complete and Progressive Settlement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Lee and Takaichi loved a leisurely stroll across the Horyu Temple, a Buddhist heritage web site relationship again to the seventh century, for round 55 minutes on Wednesday morning. With a schedule that included a smaller one-on-one summit adopted by an expanded summit, a separate chat between the 2 leaders, a banquet, and Wednesday’s go to to the temple, Lee’s journey to Nara cemented the brand new tack of shuttle diplomacy between South Korea and Japan.
Over the two-day go to, the leaders promised to develop cooperation on livelihood points, resembling mental property safety and joint responses to scam-related offenses, in addition to vowing to work collectively on overseas affairs and nationwide safety points by discussing denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and their North Korea insurance policies.
One focal point would be the extent to which the 2 sides handle the delicate historical past between South Korea and Japan after Lee and Takaichi agreed to cooperate to establish the stays of victims of the 1942 Chosei undersea coal mine catastrophe, lots of whom had been forcibly mobilized from the Korean Peninsula.
“Lee had avoided placing historic points entrance and heart in discussions in a bid to handle ties in a steady manner, however now that South Korea-Japan relations have gotten again on monitor, it seems that he intends to make progress on such issues,” assessed Lee Su-hoon, who previously served as South Korea’s ambassador to Japan.
The message Takaichi delivers on “Takeshima Day” — the Feb. 22 vacation used to display Japan’s declare to the Korean island of Dokdo — might function a gauge for the course that discussions relating to historical past will take within the Lee-Takaichi period.
The 2 leaders additionally left the subject of Korea’s bid to affix the CPTPP to be addressed down the road. Blue Home nationwide safety adviser Wi Sung-lac revealed not more than the truth that the 2 leaders “mentioned the problem of becoming a member of the CPTPP, and we reconfirmed that South Korea’s intent to proceed” throughout a press briefing on Wednesday.
South Korea is pushing to affix the commerce pact to counter the consequences of the reorganization of the US-led commerce order, however its admission will hinge on successful the assist of Japan, which at the moment holds the chair of the CPTPP.
The truth that Taiwan’s formal bid to affix the free commerce association in 2022 led to it lifting its 10-year ban on meals imports from 5 prefectures close to Fukushima — the positioning of the 2011 nuclear catastrophe — has satisfied many who this shall be a precondition for becoming a member of the settlement, which may very well be a major burden for Korea.
The federal government did reveal that the problems of becoming a member of the CPTPP and importing Japanese meals merchandise had been certainly on the desk in the course of the summit. As if he anticipated the Korean public’s resistance to importing meals from Fukushima, Wi acknowledged that Japan “offered explanations on meals security,” whereas additionally sidestepping particulars by noting that the problem will “require inter-departmental consultations on the working stage.”
By Website positioning Younger-ji, employees reporter; Park Min-hee, senior employees author
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