4 months ago
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is acceptable for a acme with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi connected Tuesday (January 13, 2026), a week aft meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, arsenic Seoul seeks to equilibrium ties with both neighbours.
The acme successful Japan’s Nara City comes amid a increasing diplomatic quality betwixt Beijing and Tokyo, and analysts expect Ms. Takaichi to item the stableness of three-way ties betwixt the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Mr. Lee is seeking to equilibrium ties with China and Japan, which could marque it easier to scope pacts successful concern fields specified arsenic artificial quality (AI).
Mr. Lee said the struggle betwixt China and Japan was not desirable for determination peace, but Seoul would not meddle successful the ongoing row.
“It’s wide that Chinese President Xi Jinping has a precise antagonistic presumption of Japan’s presumption connected the matter of Taiwan,” Mr. Lee said during an interrogation with Japanese broadcaster NHK. “I deliberation it’s a substance betwixt China and Japan, not thing we should profoundly impact ourselves successful oregon interfere with.”
Beijing irked by Takaichi’s comments connected Taiwan
Beijing was infuriated aft Ms. Takaichi said successful November that a Chinese onslaught connected democratically governed Taiwan could beryllium deemed an existential menace to Japan, which could trigger a subject effect from Tokyo.
China regards Taiwan arsenic portion of its territory, a assertion the island’s authorities rejects.
In the look of the hostility with China, Japan whitethorn question to bolster diplomatic ties with South Korea, possibly done a strategical partnership, said Lee Chang-min, a Japan adept astatine Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
“Not lone has Japan’s narration with China deteriorated, the United States has besides enactment a small region from Japan successful its (Taiwan) stance,” said Mr. Lee.
South Korea’s Mr. Lee and Ms. Takaichi whitethorn sermon the Japan-China quality during their meeting, a information advisor to Mr. Lee, Wi Sung-lac said connected Friday (January 9, 2026). However, South Korea is improbable to instrumentality sides, analysts said.
North Korea issues
Perennial concerns, specified arsenic the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and the destiny of Japanese nationals abducted by neighbouring North Korea are besides expected to fig connected the agenda.
However, analysts said the areas offering the easiest scope for factual agreements whitethorn prevarication successful business, specified arsenic practice successful AI and chips, and easing question for concern executives betwixt the countries.
The 2 leaders are expected to extensively sermon “areas straight related to people’s livelihoods ... specified arsenic intelligence spot and AI,” Mr. Wi said.
The acme successful Ms. Takaichi’s location prefecture of Nara besides offers Mr. Lee an accidental to instrumentality up issues of determination cooperation, arsenic portion of a pledge to spur improvement successful areas extracurricular Seoul.
Ties are inactive plagued by longstanding hostility connected topics specified arsenic Japan’s colonisation of Korea, including the attraction of Korean women forced to enactment successful its wartime subject brothels.
Such historical issues person moved from the centre signifier of relations for now, analysts said, though immoderate successful South Korea inactive privation them to enactment precocious connected the agenda.
Mr. Lee said South Korea’s long-standing prohibition connected seafood from Japan’s Fukushima portion would beryllium a cardinal taxable discussed astatine the summit, though resolving the contented successful the abbreviated word would beryllium challenging owed to a deficiency of nationalist spot successful Korea.
Mr. Lee’s two-day sojourn to Japan, shorter than his four-day travel to China, is part of “shuttle diplomacy” efforts that the 2 countries agreed past year.
