Outgoing Japanese PM to visit Seoul on Friday

Kishida's final visits aim to highlight his 'diplomatic achievements,' experts say

President Yoon Suk Yeol (left, front) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right, front) walk along a red carpet during Kishida's visit to Seoul in May 2023 as Yoon received Kishida at his office. (Presidential office)

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks during Kishida's two-day visit to South Korea from Friday, in what would be his final one-on-one with Yoon before his planned departure from his post, the presidential office announced Tuesday.

Yoon's office said in a note to reporters that the talks will highlight the past achievements through bilateral cooperation and ways to boost ties between the two East Asian countries in bilateral, regional and international levels.

Yoon's office did not elaborate on Kishida's itinerary, such as the estimated meeting date. A source from the presidential office said it was coordinating the agenda for the talks.

The upcoming talks will likely be the last summit of the two leaders, as Kishida announced on Aug. 14 that he would not be running in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidential nominee election in late September. Yoon's office expressed expectations that Kishida would offer "constructive advice" to his successor on how to improve the bilateral relationship.

Kishida's visits to his allies like South Korea just before his resignation "is designed to show off his past diplomatic achievements and express Japan's commitment to maintaining diplomatic ties even after a transition of power," said Choi Eun-mi, research fellow of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies dedicated to Korea-Japan relations.

She added the summit was "unlikely to draw up something new" given the time constraint for Kishida.

Kishida has remained unpopular over the past few months as a scandal involving an alleged misuse of the Japanese ruling party's campaign funds undermined public trust in the prime minister.

Yoon and Kishida have met 11 times since the two countries restored ties in March 2023. The two leaders promised to meet more frequently than in the past without necessarily going through diplomatic formalities, through what South Korea dubbed "shuttle diplomacy."

Earlier on Thursday, Yoon, whose approval ratings are also low, said in a news conference that Kishida's visit to Seoul "has not been confirmed," but added his visit "would be welcomed."

The Yoon administration's gesture for rapprochement -- which Yoon considered a critical step to three-way cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to push North Korea's denuclearization -- came amid long-running historical and territorial disputes between the two countries. Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

Soon after South Korea offered to back a fund to compensate victims of forced labor in Japan, Yoon visited Tokyo in March 2023, and Kishida reciprocated Yoon's visit by going to Seoul in May 2023.

The two leaders have met on nine more occasions, including the recent meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington in July.

As the two leaders' relationship developed, Japan started releasing treated radioactive waters from its crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant off its east coast, while its Sado Island Gold Mines, which is linked to South Korean forced labor, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage sites without South Korea's objections. South Korea, on the other hand, was reinstated to Japan's trade whitelist, virtually putting an end to the trade dispute.

The two leaders, however, have not issued a joint statement concerning the past historical dispute, sparking fierce debate over whether Yoon had hinged on a one-sided concession in his approach to his Japan diplomacy.

"The prospect for Japan's new prime minister (resolving to end) historical disputes does not seem bright," Choi said. "From South Korea's standpoint, we are seeing room for Japan's further concessions (to resolve historical issues), but it's not a popular opinion in Japan."

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)