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Japan's prime minister invites Korea to 'join hands and take a new step' on 60th diplomatic anniversary

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 23:07

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers congratulatory remarks at a reception hosted by the Korean Embassy in Tokyo to mark the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization at the Hotel New Otani on June 19. [YONHAP]

In a rare display of diplomatic warmth, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made a surprise appearance at Korea’s Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday, signaling a cautious yet notable thaw in relations between the two longtime neighbors.

His visit, which marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization between Korea and Japan, came just one day after his first in-person summit with President Lee Jae Myung in Canada.

“Let us join hands and take a new step forward toward a better future,” Ishiba told an audience of more than 1,000 gathered at the Hotel New Otani.

His remarks were warmly welcomed by Korean officials who viewed the visit as a further gesture of good will following Lee’s congratulatory video message at a similar event held by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul earlier in the week.

Ishiba’s appearance, framed by a folding screen used during the signing of the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between the two countries, underscored a rare level of bilateral warmth.

“In our first-ever face-to-face meeting in Kananaskis, Canada, held yesterday [...] we had a meaningful conversation on aligning our perspectives for stable Korea-Japan relations,” Ishiba said.

He also cited his recent message to a symposium titled “The Wisdom of Joseon Tongsinsa,” noting, “It is a natural human instinct to want to understand one’s neighbor.”

"Such exchanges between close neighbors like Japan and Korea have continued for this very reason,” he said. “It reminds us that our 60 years of relations have been supported by the people of both countries.”

The Japanese leader acknowledged both countries face shared challenges such as low birthrates, population decline and regional revitalization.

“There are many areas where we can and must cooperate,” he emphasized.

He also stressed that both nations must “firmly pass on the baton of exchange to the next generation,” noting the increasingly severe strategic environment in the region.

The sentiment echoed Lee’s own words during the summit, where he proposed “moving beyond differences” and focusing on future cooperation.

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands during a Korea-Japan summit on June 17 on the sidelines of the Group of 7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Ishiba's appearance broke with earlier plans by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to send only a video message, mirroring Lee’s earlier greeting.

Despite a packed domestic schedule — arriving back in Tokyo only at 10 p.m. the night before, followed by high-level meetings with ruling and opposition party leaders the next afternoon — Ishiba carved out time for the embassy event.

According to diplomatic sources, it was the prime minister’s recent summit with Lee that tipped the scales. His aides reportedly told him there was still time to decide whether or not to attend, depending on how the summit unfolded.

The summit appeared to ease earlier concerns within the Japanese government. Ishiba’s team informed Seoul of his attendance on Wednesday night, just one day before the event.

“He could have simply sent a video message, based on diplomatic reciprocity,” a diplomatic source told the JoongAng Ilbo. “But after holding a friendly first summit with President Lee — who had previously spoken to U.S. President Trump and then to Ishiba as his second international call — Ishiba seems to have made up his mind.”

At the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2015, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then-President Park Geun-hye each attended each other's events to mark the occasion .

Group of 7 (G7) leaders and guests during the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 17. [AP/YONHAP]

Political analysts noted that Ishiba’s attendance reflected both a shift in Japanese government sentiment and his own political style.

"During the first summit, President Lee said he would continue the shuttle diplomacy with Japan that had resumed under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, a message the Japanese government appears to have taken as a positive signal," said Shuhei Ikehata, a professor of international relations at Aoyama Gakuin University.

A diplomatic source who asked for anonymity also suggested that Ishiba’s history of visiting Korea and vocal support for ties with Seoul and Taipei had influenced his decision — particularly in the context of growing North Korea-Russia cooperation.

Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other attendees take a commemorative photo at a reception hosted by the Korean Embassy in Tokyo to mark the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization at the Hotel New Otani on June 19. [YONHAP]

The reception saw an unusually high turnout of Japanese political heavyweights.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — who rekindled "shuttle diplomacy" with Yoon in 2023 — led a toast, while former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, now chair of the Japan–Korea Parliamentarians' Union, also made an appearance. Yukio Hatoyama held a separate meeting with Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee.

In total, four current and former Japanese prime ministers attended the event, along with six sitting cabinet members, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, known for his interest in Korea. Speaker of the House of Representatives Fukushiro Nukaga and Minister of the Environment Keiichiro Asao also participated.

Notably, National Security Adviser Masataka Okano, who has maintained close contact with Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac since the launch of Lee's administration, also attended.

Around 100 Japanese lawmakers and numerous figures from business, academia and culture joined the event. On the Korean side, over 10 lawmakers, including Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union Chair Joo Ho-young, as well as members of the Korean diaspora, filled the room.

As former Kishida led the toast, the crowd raised glasses to six decades of diplomatic ties.

Park Cheol-hee called the past 60 years a “history of growth, achievement and success,” and said both nations share a “responsibility to hand over a hopeful Korea-Japan future to the next generation.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM HYUN-YE [[email protected]]