South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's two-day visit to Japan's Nara prefecture on January 13-14, 2026, for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been confirmed, building on earlier reports. The summit in Takaichi's hometown will cover security, economy, society, culture, and historical issues, continuing shuttle diplomacy amid regional tensions.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will depart for Japan on January 13, 2026, for a two-day visit to Nara prefecture, announced by Cheong Wa Dae on January 9 and confirming December Japanese media reports. He will hold summit talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Nara City—home to UNESCO sites like Todaiji Temple—followed by a working dinner and joint friendship events on January 14. Lee will also meet ethnic Koreans in Japan before returning home.
The agenda spans regional security and global issues, economic cooperation, social and cultural ties, and forward-looking approaches to historical matters from Korea's 1910-1945 colonial rule under Japan. Discussions may address China's export ban on dual-use goods to Japan and Tokyo-Beijing tensions over Taiwan remarks. This marks Lee's second Japan visit, after meeting Takaichi's predecessor Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo in August 2025, and builds on their October 2025 APEC sidelines summit in Gyeongju and November G20 encounter in South Africa.
Cheong Wa Dae emphasized the trip's role in strengthening 'future-oriented' bilateral relations through reciprocal shuttle diplomacy, fostering stable ties despite sensitivities.
