South Korean President Yoon Jae-myung arrived in Japan on Saturday to attend a summit expected to reaffirm security cooperation between the two East Asian neighbors, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
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On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Yoon will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo to discuss bilateral relations, including strengthening security cooperation with the United States under a trilateral agreement signed by their predecessors.
Yoon’s unexpected election victory—following the removal of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol after declaring martial law—raised concerns in Tokyo over potential deterioration in Seoul-Tokyo relations.
Yoon has criticized previous efforts to improve strained relations stemming from lingering resentment over Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Last week, the South Korean government expressed “deep disappointment and regret” after Japanese officials visited a Tokyo shrine dedicated to war dead, which many Koreans view as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression.
So far, Yoon has signaled support for closer ties with Japan, including during his first meeting with Ishiba on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June.
Despite their differences, the U.S. allies in Asia rely heavily on Washington to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Together, they host around 80,000 U.S. troops, dozens of U.S. warships, and hundreds of U.S. military aircraft.
In Washington, Yoon and Trump are expected to discuss security issues, including China, North Korea, and South Korea’s financial contribution to U.S. forces stationed in the country—a demand repeatedly emphasized by the U.S. leader.
Japan and South Korea also share common ground on trade, having jointly agreed to impose a 15% tariff on U.S. imports of their goods after Trump threatened higher tariffs.
—Reuters
