Seoul/Tokyo, May 9 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting South Korea later this month and holding summit talks with President Lee Jae Myung in his hometown of Andong, Japanese media outlets said Saturday, citing diplomatic sources.
Japan’s Kyodo News and other media outlets reported that Takaichi is expected to visit South Korea on May 19 for a two-day trip and hold summit talks with Lee in Andong, about 190 kilometres southeast of Seoul, about economic security cooperation, including energy and critical mineral supply chains, amid the West Asia conflict.
Takaichi last visited South Korea in October, just nine days after she took office, and held a summit with Lee on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, reports Yonhap news agency.
In January, Lee visited Japan and held a summit in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara Prefecture.
The exchange of visits is part of “shuttle diplomacy” efforts between the two neighbouring nations.
Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, a South Korean defence ministry official said that Seoul is not considering signing a bilateral military logistics support agreement with Tokyo, following a report suggesting Japan seeks to push for such a deal.
Japan aims to make progress in future talks with South Korea for an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement (ACSA), following their “two plus two” security meeting of defence and foreign vice ministers that took place in Seoul on Thursday, according to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
An ACSA is a bilateral pact between the United States and its allies on facilitating the sharing of logistics, supplies and services, such as food, fuel and transportation, during contingencies.
“We are not considering the signing of an ACSA between South Korea and Japan,” a defence ministry official said, Yonhap news agency reported.
“The South Korean government continues to pursue stable and future-oriented defence exchanges and cooperation with Japan based on mutual respect and trust,” the official said.
Tokyo is seeking to sign an ACSA with Seoul between their militaries as a way to enhance bilateral military coordination and also trilaterally with the US, their mutual ally.
It also expects that such a move would provide a framework for stronger deterrence against North Korean threats and possible military provocations from China.
But Seoul has been cautious about the issue largely due to concerns that it could potentially allow Japan’s Self-Defence Forces to engage in operations on the Korean Peninsula.
–IANS
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