"Ishiba Shares 'Trump Meeting Experience' with President Lee"

"Sharing Insights and Experiences from Summit Meetings"

It has been reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shared his experience of meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump with President Lee Jae-myung during the Korea-Japan summit held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 23rd.

President Lee Jae-myung, who visited Japan for a two-day trip, is shaking hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a small-scale Korea-Japan summit meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News

According to NHK, Akihisa Nagashima, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister and a close aide to Prime Minister Ishiba, met with reporters on the morning of the 24th and commented on the previous day's Korea-Japan summit, saying, "It was held in a good atmosphere," and that Prime Minister Ishiba shared his experience of meeting President Trump. Prime Minister Ishiba visited the United States in February this year for talks with President Trump and also had an opportunity to speak with him during the G7 summit held in Canada in June. After his visit to Japan, President Lee will travel to the United States for his first summit with President Trump.

Wi Sung-rak, Director of the National Security Office, stated, "The two leaders devoted a significant portion of their small-scale meeting to U.S. relations and tariff negotiations," adding, "Prime Minister Ishiba shared his experiences and impressions from previous U.S.-Japan summits as advice." President Lee has not yet met President Trump in person, and a summit is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on the 25th (U.S. time).

Additionally, Special Advisor Nagashima emphasized, "Given that this is a very delicate time when the United States could fall into protectionism and isolationism, President Lee's visit to the U.S. and cooperation between Japan and Korea are important in keeping President Trump's attention focused on the Indo-Pacific and East Asia," and added, "Yesterday's summit and dinner, as well as today's meeting between the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union and President Lee, are all connected and seem to have helped accelerate the momentum for Korea-Japan cooperation."

He further stated, "Since President Lee took office and visited Japan in such a short period, a positive momentum is building," and added, "Through the efforts of the Japanese government and the activities of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union, we hope to further promote this virtuous cycle." Yoshihide Suga, former Prime Minister and President of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union, said, "We aim to build Korea-Japan relations from the grassroots level, including tourism and other exchanges."

Furthermore, former Prime Minister Suga expressed his hope to meet President Lee again when the joint general assembly of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union is held in Korea in November. Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung commented on this, saying, "In particular, former Prime Minister Suga responded with a smile, saying he would like to set a record for how often he meets President Lee Jae-myung."