As President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold a summit on the afternoon of the 19th in Andong, North Gyeongsang, media in Japan are emphasizing the significance of the meeting by naming "reaffirming South Korea-U.S.-Japan coordination" as the core agenda.
Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported on the 18th (local time), "Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to meet with President Lee to confirm the importance of Japan-South Korea and South Korea-U.S.-Japan strategic cooperation," adding that it is "a move with the U.S. administration's conciliatory stance toward China in mind."
The outlet noted that President Trump recently met with President Xi Jinping and signaled a willingness to improve relations, and explained that Japan and South Korea are closely watching the possibility that U.S. commitment to East Asia could weaken. After the U.S.-China summit, President Lee and Prime Minister Takaichi each held phone talks with President Trump.
Sankei especially cited the Middle East situation as a variable for South Korea-U.S.-Japan coordination. If the United States struggles to resolve the Iran issue, the priority of responding to East Asian security issues could drop. Sankei predicted that this meeting "will serve as an opportunity to reconfirm the importance of South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation."
Japan's ANN News offered a similar analysis. ANN reported, "At this meeting, key agenda items are expected to include future three-way cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan and approaches to China following last week's U.S.-China summit." It also expected discussions on the situation in Iran and the stability of energy supply chains.
The summit is also drawing attention as an extension of "shuttle diplomacy," in which the two leaders visit each other. In Jan., a summit was held in Nara Prefecture, the electoral district of Prime Minister Takaichi, and this time Prime Minister Takaichi is visiting Andong, President Lee's hometown.
Locally, some say it is unusual for a Japanese prime minister to visit the hometown of a Korean president in person. ANN said, "Prime Minister Takaichi's side wants to show the international community a favorable Japan-South Korea relationship through a meeting held in President Lee's hometown." A figure on Prime Minister Takaichi's side also told ANN, "Close cooperation between the two countries leads to regional stability."
Meanwhile, the two leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of issues at this meeting, including economic security cooperation, responses to North Korea's nuclear program, and supply chain challenges. In particular, amid the United States' tighter semiconductor curbs on China and prolonged U.S.-China tensions, cooperation in advanced industries such as semiconductors, batteries, and artificial intelligence (AI) is also being cited as a major agenda item.
A Japanese government official told Sankei, "This meeting will be an opportunity to reaffirm South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation."