On June 4, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated President-elect Lee Jaemyung on his election, describing it as "the result of Korean democracy."
According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and other outlets, Prime Minister Ishiba, speaking at the Prime Minister's Office that morning, noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, and stated, "Japan-South Korea and Japan-US-South Korea cooperation will be actively pursued."
He also said, "It is desirable to hold a Japan-South Korea summit as soon as possible," emphasizing that the importance of shuttle diplomacy, in which the leaders of both countries regularly visit each other's nations, does not change regardless of which administration is in power in South Korea.
Regarding President-elect Lee's previous critical remarks about Japan, Ishiba noted, "He referred to Japan as an 'important partner' and also said that he likes Japan," expressing hope for building future relations.
He added, "Japan wants to strengthen its ties with South Korea through open-hearted and active exchanges, including among private citizens," and stated, "The government will make efforts to achieve this."
Prime Minister Ishiba also congratulated President-elect Lee Jaemyung on his victory through the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Japanese Embassy in Korea.
In a message written in both Korean and Japanese, he stated, "Japan and South Korea are important neighboring countries that must cooperate as partners on various challenges facing the international community," and added, "We hope to value exchanges between our peoples and maintain close communication between our governments so that Japan-South Korea relations can move forward in a stable manner."
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