The Japanese and South Korean governments are considering a plan for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to visit Japan in late August, officials from both governments have said.
If realized, it would be Lee¡¯s first visit to Japan since taking office in June.
He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to affirm their policy of maintaining ever-improving bilateral relations, the officials said Friday. Ishiba and Lee are also expected to agree to begin their own ¡°shuttle diplomacy,¡± or mutual visits by the two countries¡¯ leaders.
The JoongAng Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, reported in its online edition Friday that Lee is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 25.
Lee¡¯s visit to Japan is being arranged to come just before or just after his trip to the United States.
In June, Ishiba and Lee held their first in-person talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada, agreeing to build future-oriented relations and continue the shuttle diplomacy.
At the envisaged summit, the two leaders are expected to exchange views on North Korea¡¯s deepening military cooperation with Russia, China¡¯s increasingly assertive behavior in the East and South China seas and ways to deal with the Trump administration.
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