Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for a hard-line right-wing stance, chose a realist course in Japan-Korea relations in line with a pragmatic diplomatic policy.
The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 31st that Prime Minister Takaichi, who visited Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, created a friendly atmosphere in her first bilateral summit the previous day with President Lee Jae-myung.
Right after the meeting, Prime Minister Takaichi told Japanese reporters, "Because we are neighbors, there are many pending issues where our positions differ, but we will manage them with leadership." This is interpreted as a remark with Japan-Korea historical issues in mind.
She has criticized the Murayama Statement that apologized for past colonial rule and aggression, and has maintained a hard-line right-wing course by regularly visiting Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined. However, after being elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party, she partially adjusted her stance, such as holding off on visiting Yasukuni Shrine for the autumn festival of the grand rites.
The Asahi Shimbun cited the need for U.S.-Japan-South Korea security cooperation and regional instability as the background for Prime Minister Takaichi's shift in course. While the paper assessed that "Japan-Korea relations started with safe driving," it also predicted that maintaining the relationship would not be easy, as Takaichi must keep in mind her conservative support base.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) also assessed that in this meeting the leaders of the two countries avoided confrontation and pursued "realist diplomacy." Nikkei analyzed that the deterioration of the East Asian security environment—due to China's military pressure in the East and South China seas, the close alignment among North Korea, China and Russia, and the America-first policy of the U.S. Trump administration—affected this shift in diplomatic policy. Inside and outside Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the view was also introduced that "both Japan and Korea now have incentives to improve relations."
According to the Japanese government, Prime Minister Takaichi, in this meeting, mentioned the importance of U.S.-Japan-South Korea coordination for North Korea's complete denuclearization and the resolution of the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea.
The Mainichi Shimbun reported that Prime Minister Takaichi expressed the position that she wants to maintain trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan and South Korea "amid a grave security environment," aligning with President Lee Jae-myung, who has put forward pragmatic diplomacy.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Prime Minister Takaichi focused on softening her hard-line image in this meeting and worked to ease the Korean side's wariness. Citing a Japanese Foreign Ministry official, the paper added, "Even within the image of being called the 'female Abe,' Prime Minister Takaichi sought to emphasize that her policy for stabilizing Japan-Korea relations remains unchanged."