Cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo more important than ever, South Korean President tells Japan PM

Nara, Jan 13 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that cooperation between their countries is more important than ever, citing the 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, Yonhap News Agency reported.

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 normalising 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 weaponised," 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.

--IANS