UNJournal Jon Lee |  The Blue House announced that President Lee Jae-myung will visit Nara Prefecture, Japan, for a two-day, one-night trip on January 13th and 14th to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi.

This visit was made at the invitation of the Japanese government, following the suggestion during the summit with Prime Minister Takaichi at last year's Gyeongju APEC summit that "the next shuttle diplomacy should be held in Nara, the Prime Minister's hometown."This marks the third meeting between President Lee and Prime Minister Takaichi, less than three months after his inauguration, following the Gyeongju APEC summit and the G20 summit in South Africa last year. After arriving in Nara on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 13th, President Lee Jae-myung will hold a private meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi, accompanied by a small group of guests, followed by a dinner that evening. The two leaders will then visit Horyuji Temple, a prominent local cultural heritage site, on the morning of Wednesday, January 14th, for a friendly visit. Horyuji, also known as Bubrungsa in Korea, is Shotokuji Main Temple in Japan, and the Seowongaram of Horyuji is also famous as the oldest existing wooden structure.

Afterwards, President Lee plans to hold meetings with Koreans in the Kansai region, including Osaka, as part of his own itinerary, before returning home.

At this summit, National Security Advisor Wi predicted that the issue of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could be brought up on the table.

The CPTPP is a multilateral trade agreement reached in Chile in March 2018 by 12 Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Japan, which chairs the CPTPP in 2021, has expressed a negative opinion on South Korea's entry into the CPTPP.

Director Wi also stated that historical issues will be discussed at this summit, and mentioned strengthening humanitarian cooperation between South Korea and Japan on historical issues, such as the Chosei coal mine flooding. The Josei Coal Mine Submersion Accident was an underwater submersion accident that occurred when forced laborers were illegally employed in a situation where coal and other military supplies were extremely scarce. The mine's ceiling collapsed, drowning a total of 183 people, including 136 Koreans.

It is an incident that involves sensitive issues such as the excavation of remains.