▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of their summit talks in Japan's Nara on Jan. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) speaks during his summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) in Japan's Nara on Jan. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) Lee-Takaichi-summit

(2nd LD) Lee tells Takaichi cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo more important than ever

(ATTN: ADDS remarks, details)

By Kim Eun-jung

NARA, Japan, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday that cooperation between South Korea and Japan is more important than ever, citing complex and dizzying international order.

Lee made the remarks at the start of summit talks with Takaichi, calling for the two nations to take steps toward a better future, despite the painful past caused by Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

"Amid a complex and dizzying international order, I believe that cooperation between Korea and Japan is more important than ever," Lee said.

The summit talks with Takaichi came after Lee held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this month, at a time when tensions have been running high between Beijing and Tokyo over Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan.

Lee said South Korea and Japan have built mutually beneficial relations over the past 60 years since normalizing diplomatic ties and expressed hope to further develop the relationship over the next 60 years.

Takaichi said she would work closely with Lee to promote regional stability, expressing hope that his visit would help further elevate Seoul-Tokyo ties.

Lee expressed hope for broadening cooperation with Japan in the fields of artificial intelligence, the economy, society, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

"Geopolitical uncertainty is growing, multilateralism is being put to the test in the international community, and interdependence within global supply chains is being weaponized," he said.

"To address the pressing challenges we face, I hope that the two countries will squarely confront history while expanding cooperation based on deep mutual trust," he added.

Lee arrived in Nara for a two-day stay as part of reciprocal leader-level visits dubbed "shuttle diplomacy," aimed at sustaining the recent momentum in improving relations.

The two leaders first held summit talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju in late October and briefly met again during the Group of 20 leaders' gathering in South Africa in November.

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