The leaders of Japan and South Korea were all smiles as they agreed to put a century of difficult history to one side and work together to counter regional security challenges.
The Tokyo summit between South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol and Japan’s Fumio Kishida – in the first visit to Japan by a South Korean president in 12 years – highlighted how the two United States allies have been brought closer by North Korea’s frequent missile launches and growing concern over China’s more assertive positioning on the international stage.
Just hours before Yoon arrived in Tokyo, North Korea test-fired a banned intercontinental ballistic missile, the latest in a series of launches over the past week.
The two leaders bonded over food and reached an agreement on some contentious issues, agreeing to revive regular bilateral visits and resume the security dialogue suspended in 2018. Yoon declared the “complete normalisation” of an intelligence-sharing pact, known as GSOMIA, which Seoul had threatened to pull out of in 2019.
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They also announced an end to an almost four-year trade dispute over some high-tech materials used for semiconductors.
“Strengthening Japan-South Korea ties in the current strategic environment is urgent,” Kishida told reporters at a joint press conference with Yoon after the talks.
“I hope this visit will nurture trust and friendship and significantly elevate Japan-South Korea relations.”