Japan’s Ishiba, South Korea’s Lee agree to step up cooperation in defence, economic security, AI

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed on Saturday to closer security and economic ties ahead of Lee’s planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.

On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee met Ishiba at the premier’s residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral ties between the East Asia neighbours, including closer security coordination with the United States under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.

“As the strategic environment surrounding both our countries grows increasingly severe, the importance of our relations, as well as trilateral cooperation with the United States, continues to grow,” Ishiba said in a joint announcement with Lee after their meeting.

The leaders agreed to resume shuttle diplomacy, expand exchanges such as working holiday programs, and step up cooperation in defence, economic security, artificial intelligence and other areas.

We “agreed that unwavering cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan is paramount in the rapidly changing international situation, and decided to create a virtuous cycle in which the development of South Korea-Japan relations leads to stronger cooperation,” Lee said alongside Ishiba.