TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met in Japan on Tuesday (Jan 13) as the two East Asian neighbours look to bolster security and economic co-operation.
The two leaders are widely expected to discuss denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and co-operation in areas such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
The meeting in Nara, Takaichi's home prefecture, comes a week after Lee met Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tokyo and Beijing remain locked in a diplomatic dispute following remarks by Takaichi that Japan could deploy its forces if a Chinese attack on Taiwan posed an existential threat.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, a claim the self-governing island rejects.
Lee, who will spend two days in Japan, said earlier that while the diplomatic stand-off was not desirable for regional peace, he would not intervene in the dispute.
Takaichi and Lee will deliver a joint statement after their summit.
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