Japan’s PM Takaichi Turns on the Charm to Dispel South Korean Concerns

By Kenta Uemura and Takashi Nakagawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

15:10 JST, October 31, 2025

GYEONGJU, South Korea – Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched a charm offensive during her first meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday.

Takaichi has been persistently perceived as a hardliner toward South Korea, but she took great pains to dispel this image and allay Seoul’s concerns about her approach to the countries’ ties during her talks with Lee in Gyeongju. A key challenge for Takaichi will be whether she can swiftly build a relationship of trust with Lee, who himself previously adopted an uncompromising stance toward Japan before changing tack and placing great importance on diplomatic ties with Tokyo.

At the start of the meeting, which was open to the media, Takaichi smiled as she said, “I’m delighted that we could meet so soon after I became prime minister.” She repeatedly emphasized the importance of Japan-South Korea relations and called for both sides to “improve ties together.”

Takaichi was elected prime minister on Oct. 21. At a press conference that day, she pledged to continue “future-oriented, stable” relations with South Korea. Lee touched on this comment with a bit of humor, saying, “That’s exactly what I have been saying. Not a single syllable is different.” His comment sparked a ripple of laughter through the meeting.

The last time a staunchly conservative Japanese prime minister and a left-wing South Korean president were in office at the same time was 2017 to 2020, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon Jae-in held power. During this time, relations deteriorated to what many observers called their worst level in the post-World War II period. Takaichi has been dubbed “the female Abe” and viewed warily in South Korea due to her conservative assertions on issues including visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the nation’s war dead, and the Takeshima Islands in Shimane Prefecture, which South Korea calls Dokdo. Given this, Takaichi’s main objective at her first meeting with Lee was “to reaffirm there’s been no change in the plan to seek stable Japan-South Korea relations,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Takaichi decided not to visit Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival shortly before she took office. In addition, Takaichi sought to highlight her friendly nature by saying at her inaugural press conference as prime minister, “It seems there are various concerns about me, but I love South Korea’s nori seaweed.” This was picked up by Lee, who gave Takaichi a gift of South Korean nori and cosmetics at their meeting. Lee also livened up the conversation by discussing Takaichi’s hobbies, which include playing the drums. According to the South Korean government, the two leaders did not directly touch on historical issues during their meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also held talks Thursday in South Korea ahead of the Takaichi-Lee meeting. Although Takaichi and Lee hold different political stances, they are linked by a shared sense of urgency over an international landscape that is even more severe than it was during the Abe-Moon years, due in part to the second Trump administration’s increasingly rigid “America first” policies, the U.S.-China rivalry and military cooperation among China, Russia and North Korea.

After their talks, Takaichi said she and Lee had agreed to use “leadership” to “manage” issues on which their positions differ. They also were eager to promote their reciprocal visits.

Will Takaichi be able to deepen cooperation on common challenges while preventing historical issues and territorial disputes from derailing progress? The true test of Takaichi’s diplomacy toward South Korea lies ahead.