Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has held his first telephone talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol since taking office.
They agreed that their governments will keep in close communication, including shuttle diplomacy, to make their current good bilateral relationship a sustainable one.
The call, which lasted about 15 minutes, took place on Wednesday, a day after Ishiba assumed office.
At the start, Ishiba said that close cooperation is crucial for both sides, and that he looks forward to working closely with Yoon to further develop bilateral relations.
Yoon congratulated Ishiba on his taking office and expressed his expectation for working closely with him to strengthen bilateral ties.
The two also agreed to further collaborate bilaterally and trilaterally with the United States to deal with issues including North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
They confirmed that their administrations will stay in close communication, taking into account that Japan and South Korea will observe the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic ties next year.
Ishiba later told reporters that Tokyo-Seoul relations advanced remarkably between his predecessor Kishida Fumio and President Yoon, as did trilateral cooperation with the US. He added that the developments greatly contributed to peace and stability in the region.
Ishiba said he told the president that he wants to build on that legacy and further enhance bilateral and trilateral collaboration.