WASHINGTON — Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to ensure the continuity of Tokyo's close bilateral relations with South Korea during his visit to Seoul amid threats from North Korea and China.


Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Thursday that Kishida's trip to Seoul the following day seeks to ensure that enhanced cooperation between Japan and South Korea is "made more concrete." 


He said, "The two countries should work together as partners" as they "face international challenges" and that "the bilateral relationship of the two countries will be confirmed" during Kishida's visit to Seoul.


The South Korean presidential office announced on Tuesday that Kishida will make a two-day visit to Seoul starting Friday for a final summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. 


Kishida announced in August he will step down this month, ending his three-year term early in response to political and economic issues in Japan. 


"It is very important that Kishida, who identified the 'reset' of Japan-ROK relations as one of his concrete foreign policy achievements" when he announced his decision to step down, "chose ROK as one of the last places of [his] visit as the prime minister," said Yuki Tatsumi, director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center.


ROK stands for Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea.


Mending ties


At a news conference held to announce his resignation on Aug. 14, Kishida said Tokyo must make restored relations with South Korea "ever more certain" as the two countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of normalized relations next year. 


Seoul and Tokyo normalized their diplomatic relations in 1965, but lingering historical disputes stemming from Japan's colonial occupation of South Korea from 1910 to 1945 strained their ties in recent years. 


Putting aside their historical differences, Kishida and Yoon forged close ties through their 11 meetings since Yoon took office in 2022.


"Prime Minister Kishida's visit is a manifestation of his sincerity, and that of his government, that Japan is committed to continuing the efforts that have enabled such an important transformation in ROK-Japan relations," said Evans Revere, who served as acting assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration.


The improved relations led to regular meetings between the two countries that culminated in the Camp David summit with the U.S. in August 2023. There, the three agreed to expand security ties. 


In June, the three countries held their first multi-domain land, air and sea military drills, dubbed "Freedom Edge," to boost the security of the Indo-Pacific including the Korean Peninsula.




Cooperation on security


The heightened cooperation comes in response to elevating threats from North Korean missile launches and Chinese air and naval incursions. 


China has made multiple incursions into the South Korean air defense zone and Japanese air and maritime defense zones, including what Tokyo claimed as a violation of its territorial air space for the first time in August. 


Daniel Sneider, a lecturer in international policy focusing on Japanese and Korean foreign policy at Stanford University, said Kishida's trip to Seoul will send signals to Pyongyang and Beijing that the trilateral security cooperation will be preserved even after his term ends. 


"As a Prime Minister, his personal courage, along with ROK President Yoon's, ushered in a new era for U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation at last year's Camp David Summit," a State Department spokesperson told VOA Korean on Wednesday when asked about the trip. 


Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is scheduled to elect Kishida's successor on Sept. 27.


"There's a fair amount of consensus on the importance of continuing security cooperation with South Korea," said Sneider. "But there are parts of the LDP that are much more resistant to having close ties with South Korea."


He added that Kishida "wants to make clear" that preserving security cooperation with South Korea will remain Japan's foreign policy whoever becomes the next prime minister of Japan.


The South Korean presidential office said on Tuesday that "Prime Minister Kishida is expected to continue to provide constructive advice to his successor on foreign policies and the future development of South Korea-Japan relations based on his experience." 


Jiha Ham contributed to this report.

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