[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister Kishida regarding the Japan-Republic of Korea Summit

We just concluded our Japan-Republic of Korea (ROK) summit meeting. This is the 12th time I have had summit talks with President Yoon, with our first meeting in September 2022.

Thanks to President Yoon, my trusted partner who shares with me the strong will to strengthen our bilateral ties, over the past two years we have succeeded in opening up a new chapter in Japan-ROK bilateral relations as the result of both of us doing our utmost towards that end.

Japan and the ROK must continue to walk down this same path in the future. In consideration of that, it will be essential for the leaders of our two countries to visit each other frequently without being bound by formality and continue to have candid discussions, including about difficult issues.

The "shuttle diplomacy" that President Yoon and I have resumed and have brought into full swing embodies the way Japan-ROK relations ought to be. This visit I made gives concrete shape to that conviction.

During today's summit meeting, we had a discussion after embarking on a comprehensive overview of the progress that has been made in our bilateral relations to date.

One point we touched upon was that over the last two years, exchanges, including among young people, have been expanding significantly, with mutual visits by Japanese and ROK citizens increasing at the quickest annual pace in history. In addition, through the relationship of trust I have forged with President Yoon, our governments have been engaged in a wide range of cooperation and dialogues.

During this visit, through diplomatic channels, the Japan-ROK Memorandum was signed, confirming our cooperation in protecting each other’s nationals in emergency situations in third countries. I consider this another example illustrating how high the trust is between our two countries.

President Yoon and I fully agreed on the importance of ensuring that the fruits of the Japan-ROK relationship, which has made great strides, can be felt by the people of both countries in a concrete manner, taking the opportunity of next year's 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-ROK relations. In particular, we reaffirmed our policy of strengthening our bilateral cooperation and exchanges in a sustained manner, including for example measures that support people-to-people exchanges.

In light of the current strategic environment, close cooperation between Japan and the ROK is simply indispensable for regional peace and stability. During today's meeting, we discussed the issue of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula in depth. Beyond that, we confirmed the importance of reinforcing Japan-ROK-US cooperation across a wide range of fields as well as actively cooperating in addressing various issues facing the international community. I believe that Japan-ROK cooperation in addressing these issues will bring benefits to both our nations, and it is well in line with the expectations of the international community.

While we will talk with each other further during the banquet that follows, I feel we had in-depth discussions conducive to advancing our future bilateral relationship. That’s all.