Overview
- Seoul said Friday that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will travel to Andong for meetings with President Lee Jae Myung from Tuesday to Wednesday, a plan Tokyo also confirmed in parliament.
- The program includes one-on-one and expanded talks, a joint press statement, a banquet, and separate fellowship events the next day.
- Officials signaled a focus on the economy and protections for travelers, with talks also expected on the Middle East conflict and energy security, as South Korea relied on the Strait of Hormuz for 61% of its crude last year and Japan sourced over 95% of its oil from the Middle East.
- Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tokyo wants progress on a military logistics pact called an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, while South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it is not considering such a deal.
- The meetings continue reciprocal hometown shuttle diplomacy after Lee’s January visit to Takaichi’s Nara base, marking the first exchange of visits by sitting leaders to each other’s hometowns.