Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Prime Minister, made a 'surprise appearance' at the reception commemorating the '60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization' held in Tokyo. This is interpreted as a demonstration of his commitment to improving Korea-Japan relations.
Prime Minister Ishiba made an appearance at a reception hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Japan at the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo on the afternoon of the 19th.
During his speech, Prime Minister Ishiba mentioned his recent phone call with President Lee Jae-myung and the Korea-Japan summit held during the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Canada, stating, "We had very meaningful discussions aligning our thoughts for the stable development of Korea-Japan relations in the future."
He added, "Japan and Korea are facing many common challenges, such as declining birth rates, population decrease, and the need for regional revitalization, in addition to the various cooperation we have built up until now," emphasizing, "We aim to pass the baton of exchanges we have maintained so far to the next generation while further broadening the horizons of Korea-Japan cooperation."
He also said, "As the strategic environment surrounding Japan and Korea is becoming more severe, let us hold hands and take a new step towards a better future."
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization, Korea and Japan each held commemorative receptions. At an event hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on the 16th, President Lee Jae-myung sent a video message. At that time, the president was unable to attend in person due to his participation in the G7 meeting, and it was expected that Prime Minister Ishiba would also deliver a video message at the Tokyo event according to the diplomatic customary practice of 'reciprocity,' but he decided to attend in person.
In addition to Prime Minister Ishiba, key figures from both the current and former administrations, including Yoshimasa Hayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Fukuhiro Nukaga, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, attended the event, along with prominent individuals from politics, business, and culture.
The leaders of Korea and Japan are accelerating the recovery of their relationship by continuing their exchanges from the first phone call on the 9th of this month to the reception in Seoul on the 16th, the summit on the 18th, and the event in Tokyo on the 19th.
In particular, Prime Minister Ishiba sent his close aide Akihisa Nagashima to Seoul on the 16th to convey the 'three principles for addressing historical issues,' including 'to respect past agreements as much as possible and not to retreat.' In response, President Lee also replied in a video message, saying, "Let us join hands and move towards a better future together."
During the summit held at the G7 meeting in Canada, the two leaders also unified their thoughts on establishing a future-oriented relationship with 'future and partnership' as key keywords.