Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to visit Korea on January 19-20 to meet with President Lee Jae-myung, with the two governments finalizing arrangements, Reuters reported Friday. The summit is set to take place in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, the president's hometown.
The visit follows President Lee's trip to Nara Prefecture, Takaichi's hometown, in January and forms part of the shuttle diplomacy between the two leaders. A Korea-Japan business forum is also being planned in Andong to coincide with the summit.
"From Japan's perspective, there is an intention to solidify good relations with its neighbor Korea amid deteriorating ties with China following Prime Minister Takaichi's 'Taiwan contingency' remarks last year," Reuters reported. "Regional and international issues, including the Middle East and North Korea, are also likely to be on the agenda."
President Lee had previously expressed his wish to invite Takaichi to his hometown of Andong, and Takaichi said during the January meeting in Nara that she was "looking forward to being able to visit Korea again."
Meanwhile, Korea and Japan held vice-ministerial security talks in Seoul on Friday, exchanging views on the strategic environment surrounding the two countries as well as their security and defense policies. Earlier in January, Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back visited Japan and held talks with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
