During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, both leaders agreed on the need to project bilateral relations into the future, despite the pain caused in the past by the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

Japan’s first female prime minister pledged to work closely with Seoul to strengthen regional stability, while Lee highlighted the 60 years of diplomatic ties and expressed his desire to expand them in the coming decades.

The South Korean leader landed in Osaka on Tuesday and traveled to Nara, the Japanese prime minister’s hometown, for talks.

The summit comes less than a week after Lee meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid a diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over Takaichi’s controversial remarks about Taiwan.

Lee’s official visit to Japan is scheduled to last two days and will focus on improving diplomatic relations and boosting bilateral cooperation.

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