President Lee and Prime Minister Ishiba Adopt Joint Statement
Consultative Body Established to Address Common Social Issues Between Korea and Japan
President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands on the 30th at the Nurimaru APEC House Memorial Hall in Busan. Photo by Yonhap News
President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba adopted a joint statement proposing the establishment of a consultative body to jointly address issues such as low birth rates and an aging population.
On the 30th in Busan, President Lee and Prime Minister Ishiba held a summit for approximately 76 minutes and agreed on the "Operational Plan for a Consultative Body Between Authorities on Common Social Issues between Korea and Japan," which contains these details. The plan was released in the form of a joint statement. This comes about a month after the two leaders issued a joint statement in Tokyo, Japan, on August 23, marking the first such statement in 17 years.
The two leaders agreed to operate a consultative body to jointly address common social issues faced by Korea and Japan. The topics for discussion are: ▲low birth rates and an aging population ▲balanced national development ▲agriculture ▲disaster prevention ▲suicide prevention, totaling five areas. The relevant ministries of each country will take the lead in these discussions, and both sides will share their policy experiences and successful case studies.
They also agreed to utilize bilateral consultations between the diplomatic authorities of Korea and Japan to oversee the overall operation of the consultative body.
The two leaders stated, "Through this consultative body between authorities, we will expand opportunities for communication among stakeholders in each field and respond by strengthening multilayered connections and cooperation on common social issues between Korea and Japan."
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