Japanese new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (second from left) and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (second from right) attend the first bilateral talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 30, 2025. Photo: VCG

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Thursday held his first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who visited South Korea to attend the APEC leaders' meeting. During the meeting, which lasted about 41 minutes, the two leaders stressed the need for closer cooperation but avoided sensitive historical issues that have long strained bilateral relations, as South Korean media observed. 

According to Yonhap News Agency, Takaichi arrived in the afternoon and will remain in South Korea until November 1 to participate in APEC sessions and hold bilateral talks with other leaders. 

According to Yonhap, Lee said South Korea and Japan share many common challenges both at home and abroad, and emphasized the importance of working together through coordination. "By sharing experiences and working together, I believe we can successfully address not only domestic issues but also international ones," he said.

Takaichi described the two nations as "neighboring countries" that are important to each other and expressed hope for closer cooperation, per Yonhap.

During the 41-minute meeting, the two leaders avoided direct reference to historical disputes. Instead, Lee noted that South Korea and Japan are "neighbors who share the same front yard" and sometimes "get emotionally hurt like family," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.

Still, both leaders expressed their intention to continue shuttle diplomacy. At Lee's suggestion, they agreed to hold their next meeting in a local city rather than Tokyo, Yonhap said. Spokesperson for the presidential office told reporters that the two leaders shared a consensus on maintaining wide-ranging exchanges in a friendly atmosphere during their talks in Gyeongju.

Some South Korean media underscored the ideological contrast between the two leaders. The Korea Herald described Takaichi as "a staunch right-wing politician" and Lee as "the liberal president", noting that "attention has focused on how the liberal president would navigate relations with Japan", since "liberal leaders in South Korea have often taken a tough stance toward Tokyo."

Chinese analysts noted that the meeting was largely ceremonial, with both sides toning down their political rhetoric to avoid confrontation. The encounter served as a cautious opening that may help ensure a smooth transition in Japan-South Korea relations following the establishment of the new Takaichi cabinet.

"Takaichi's main purpose in visiting South Korea was to attend the APEC meeting," Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. "As a newly inaugurated prime minister still consolidating her position, she has deliberately moderated her hawkish image," he added.

Yonhap also commented that in a rapidly changing global order under US President's evolving alliance approach, "both governments recognize the need to build multifaceted ties with countries that share political, economic, and cultural commonalities."

The trajectory of Japan-South Korea relations will depend on how Takaichi handles sensitive historical issues — such as whether she visits the Yasukuni Shrine or makes provocative remarks about wartime history. "These will be key indicators of whether the current cautious goodwill can evolve into lasting stability," Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.