President Lee Jae Myung (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announce their joint declaration at a bilateral news conference following their summit at the latter's residence in Tokyo, on Aug. 23, 2025. The two leaders announced a joint news conference after their summit. They also released the meeting's outcome in an official statement for the first time in 17 years. In the statement, both countries said they should work together as partners for future-oriented, mutually beneficial common interests to respond to global issues. (PHOTO: Presidential Office)
President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have agreed to develop bilateral ties in a future-oriented and stable manner to mark the 60th anniversary of normalizing diplomatic relations this year.
The two leaders on Aug. 23 announced this at a joint news conference after their summit at the Japanese leader’s official residence in Tokyo. They also released the meeting’s outcome in an official statement for the first time in 17 years.
In the statement, both countries said they should work together as partners for future-oriented, mutually beneficial common interests to respond to global issues.
Prime Minister Ishiba also pledged to fully recognize the positions of previous Japanese cabinets on historical awareness such as the joint Kim Dae-jung–Obuchi Declaration on a New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership towards the Twenty-first Century in 1998.
The foundation for this bilateral relationship was laid when South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung and Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi Keizo met in October 1998. They issued the Kim-Obuchi Joint Declaration, which pledged to build a renewed Japan-South Korean partnership aimed toward the 21st century. Both countries acknowledged the “tremendous damage and suffering” Japan caused to Korea during its colonial rule, while pursuing reconciliation and future-oriented cooperation between the two nations.
The 1998 Joint Declaration highlighted various areas, but its major pillars included historical understanding, economic cooperation, and security cooperation.
In terms of economic cooperation, the two nations agreed to expand consultation on multilateral fora such as the World Trade Organization, OECD, and APEC.
They also agreed on various security issues including North Korea’s denuclearization and reducing the threats of weapons of mass destruction.
Considering the timing, it was a very profound and forward-looking declaration that highlighted various areas of cooperation and diplomacy.
However, over 25 years have passed and the two nations now need a more comprehensive, advanced declaration that can foster their relationship. A new joint statement is very timely and necessary, considering the changes in geopolitical and domestic political motivations.
The return of U.S. President Donald Trump and his “America First” approach, coupled with reciprocal tariffs on both South Korea and Japan, has eroded U.S. credibility.
It also accelerated the shift from a liberal trade world order toward mercantilist protectionism – pressuring both Seoul and Tokyo to diversify their economic partnerships. At the same time, China’s rapid technological ascent in sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), display, batteries, and AI is reshaping both countries’ industrial strategies, demanding closer cooperation among like-minded economies.
The two sides hailed the quick resumption of their shuttle diplomacy, with the first bilateral summit held in Canada two weeks after President Lee took office and the second in Japan two months later.
The statement also covered expanding cooperation in future industries including hydrogen and artificial intelligence, launching a joint committee to respond to common social issues such as low birth rates and revival of regions, and measures to boost people-to-people exchange such as raising the quota for working holiday visas.
They also agreed on the need to strengthen bilateral strategic communication amid changes in the regional strategic environment including the Indo-Pacific area, as well as the new economic and trade order.
They also pledged to bolster communication at all government ranks including the head of state in many sectors including national and economic security.
On North Korea, both leaders reaffirmed their firm commitment to the North’s complete denuclearization and a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, agreeing to continue cooperation in related policy. To the North’s nuclear and missile threats, Seoul and Tokyo highlighted continued cooperation with the international community so that the sanctions imposed on Pyeongyang by the United Nations Security Council can be fully implemented based on trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
They reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, pledging continued coordination on North Korea policy.
They also confirmed that the North Korean nuclear and missile issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy.
At the press conference, Ishiba warned against “attempts to uni-laterally change the status quo through force or coercion,” in remarks interpreted as cautioning against China’s growing regional influence. President Lee, however, did not comment on the issue.
They decided to work together for a successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation starting in late October in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and a trilateral summit with China in Japan.
Key result of this summit is revival of shuttle diplomacy & institutional links.
After a long hiatus of 17 years, Seoul and Tokyo issued their first joint press statement-a visible sign of normalized diplomacy. They agreed to resume shuttle diplomacy, enabling more frequent, low-formality enga-gements.
The two agreed to cooperate in areas that include clean energy, artificial intelligence, low births, the aging population and disaster prevention.
They reaffirmed South Korea and Japan would work together and with the United States toward ending North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs.
Lee’s visit to Japan may help him prepare for his crucial first summit in Washington on Aug. 25 with U.S. President Donald Trump, mainly on trade and defense issues.
“I came to Japan today with a conviction to boldly break away from past practices, pursuing pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest and opening a path toward future-oriented, mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries,” Lee told a joint press conference after two summit sessions.
A new intergovernmental con-sultative body was launched to co-manage socioeconomic challenges like aging, low birth rates, regional revitalization, and disaster response.
The two governments also committed to deeper collaboration in strategic sectors such as clean energy (e.g., hydrogen), AI, and other future industries. They positioned this bilateral economic alignment as foundational to regional resilience amid ongoing U.S.-led trade realignments.
“We shared a recognition that in the face of a rapidly changing international situation, unwavering cooperation of South Korea-Japan and South Korea-U.S.-Japan is more important than ever,” Lee said.
Lee said they agreed to pursue “a virtuous cycle” in which their improved relations enhance their trilateral cooperation with the U.S. Ishiba said they agreed to step up strategic dialogue in the areas of defense and economic security.
The leaders spent significant time discussing U.S.-related trade issues, including tariff negotiations. Lee’s decision to visit Japan before his U.S. summit reflected his intention to draw on Japan’s experience in trade talks to strengthen his own negotiating position. They also agreed to bolster bilateral coordination and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. amid the international realignment driven by President Trump’s policies.
The summit served not only to improve bilateral ties but also to prepare for the upcoming Korea-U.S. summit.
Lee became the first Korean president to visit Japan ahead of a U.S. meeting, underscoring the bridge role of the trip. He also drew on Ishiba’s experience in negotiations with Washington.
The Korea-U.S. summit, set for Aug. 25, is expected to differ from past gatherings focused on friendship and alliance reaffirmation.
Instead, it will test Lee’s pragmatic diplomacy against U.S. President Donald Trump’s America-first approach.
With Trump already signaling steep demands on tariffs, defense spending and the cost of U.S. troop deployments in Korea, Seoul faces a critical moment.
As National Security Office head Wi Sung-lac remarked, “It is up to us to draw lessons from Japan’s experience.” Thorough preparation will be needed to turn the meeting into an outcome that maximizes Korea’s national interest.
When it came to the area of economics, the two leaders discussed cooperation in future industries, while also agreeing to launch a consultative body to seek solutions to societal challenges shared by both countries, such as declining birth rates, aging populations, the concentration of populations in capital cities, embattled agricultural sectors, and disaster safety.
They also agreed to promote human exchange, which is in high demand among the younger generation, by expanding the working holiday visa program.
However, sensitive issues such as the third-party compensation plan for victims of forced mobilization do not appear to have been broached at the summit.
The joint press release adopted by the two leaders stuck to generic language, with the two sides agreeing to develop ties in a “future-oriented and stable manner” based on the foundation of their bilateral ties since the normalization of relations in 1965, and Ishiba noting that he “inherits” the positions of previous cabinets on historical awareness, including the 1998 joint declaration by Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, in which Obuchi expressed remorse and apology for the suffering felt by Koreans during Japan’s colonial rule.
South Korean historians and civic groups balked at the language as “hardly forward-thinking” and expressed regret regarding the statement.
Their discontent stems from the reference to Japan’s inheritance of the positions of previous cabinets, which necessarily includes former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s 2015 statement that the future generations of Japan must not be “predestined to apologize.” Abe’s statement came during a speech marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
“Ignoring history and sweeping everything completely under the rug is unacceptable when there are practical and realistic approaches to addressing the past,” commented Choi Bong-tae, an attorney with the team offering legal representation and support for victims of forced labor as they sue for damages.★
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