SEOUL, Sept 3, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will head to Seoul on Friday for a two-day visit to meet South Korea's leader after the pair worked to significantly boost bilateral ties.

The East Asian neighbours, both key security allies of the United States, have long been at odds over historical issues linked to Japan's brutal colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945, including sexual slavery and forced labour.

However, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made resetting ties with Japan a top priority in the face of growing threats from North Korea and made his first trip to Tokyo as head of state in 2023, as well as re-starting so-called shuttle diplomacy between the two capitals.

"Japan and South Korea are important neighbours to each other that should work as partners to tackle a wide range of international issues," Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday, confirming the trip.

Kishida has said he will not seek re-election as leader of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) when his tenure expires this month.
The conservative LDP is expected to decide its new leader on September 27.

Japanese media reports said Kishida wanted to see Yoon and tell him that warmer ties would continue under the next administration.

"Prime Minister Kishida, anticipating his resignation, eagerly sought to visit South Korea to discuss the future direction of development between the two countries," the presidential office in Seoul said.

"The two sides will reflect on the achievements of South Korea-Japan cooperation," it said, and will "discuss the future direction of Korea-Japan cooperation, regional cooperation, and global cooperation".

It said Kishida "expects to continue to give constructive advice on the foreign policy of the successor".

Kishida and Yoon met at a trilateral summit with China in May, with Yoon saying that trust and exchanges had "dramatically increased over the past year", pointing to booming bilateral tourism.

Yoon said last week he had held 11 summits with Kishida to discuss issues including nuclear-armed North Korea.

"I would like to say that no matter which leader is in charge of state affairs, cooperation and synergy for the future between Korea and Japan will be maintained," Yoon said.