Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, who is set to step down in October, will visit South Korea at the end of this month after attending the United Nations General Assembly.
According to Kyodo News on September 16, Prime Minister Ishiba stated at a Liberal Democratic Party executive meeting that day, "If circumstances permit next week, I would like to attend the United Nations General Assembly."
In relation to this, Tetsushi Sakamoto, the Diet Affairs Committee Chairman, said that Prime Minister Ishiba plans to visit South Korea after his trip to the United States, emphasizing, "The relationship between South Korea and Japan is extremely important."
However, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, when asked during a regular press briefing on the same day, said, "Specific details regarding the visit to South Korea have not yet been decided." He added, "There is close communication between the two countries, and the relationship remains very positive. I believe that shuttle diplomacy is highly meaningful."
Prime Minister Ishiba's visit to South Korea is seen as a response to President Lee Jaemyung's visit to Japan on August 23-24, and as an effort to continue summit-level diplomacy between the two countries.
Previously, on September 12, Japanese media including Fuji News Network (FNN) reported that Prime Minister Ishiba is arranging to visit South Korea for two days starting September 30, with plans to hold talks with President Lee Jaemyung in a regional city.
The successor to Prime Minister Ishiba, who announced his resignation on September 7, will be decided in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election scheduled for October 4. This visit to South Korea is expected to be his last overseas trip as prime minister.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ishiba is included in the provisional list of speakers for the general debate at the United Nations General Assembly, which will be held in New York, United States, starting September 23.
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