▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after a joint press announcement held in Nara, Japan, on Jan. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee-Japan

Lee, Takaichi set to visit ancient temple in Japan's Nara

By Kim Eun-jung

NARA, Japan, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung will visit an ancient temple here with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday, Cheong Wa Dae said, in a rare sightseeing trip by leaders of the two nations.

Lee and Takaichi are scheduled to tour Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, which contains some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings and is known to have been influenced by the ancient kingdom of Baekje, which ruled the southwestern part of Korea from 18 B.C. to A.D. 660.

The temple was designated as Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 and houses the "Baekje Kannon," also known as the Kudara Kannon, a wooden statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and a designated cultural treasure.

Lee will then meet with Korean residents in Japan's Kansai region before returning home.

On the first day of his two-day visit, Lee held summit talks with Takaichi. It marked Lee's fifth summit with a Japanese prime minister since taking office in June 2025 and his second summit with Takaichi since her inauguration last October.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]