South Korean President Lee Jae Myung paid his first bilateral visit abroad since taking office in June, meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on 23 August. The leaders issued their countries’ first joint statement since 2008, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalisation and signalling a reset after years of friction. The document says the neighbours will pursue a “future-oriented” partnership, expand strategic communication on regional security and economic security, and work with the United States to achieve the complete denuclearisation of North Korea. Tokyo and Seoul also agreed to restart shuttle diplomacy, set up new policy dialogues on ageing populations and regional revitalisation, and launch a framework for cooperation on hydrogen, artificial intelligence and other advanced industries. People-to-people exchanges featured prominently: the two sides will double the number of times young nationals can obtain working-holiday visas, easing travel and employment for up to two stays. The leaders emphasised that a stronger bilateral relationship would reinforce broader Japan-U.S.–South Korea coordination amid heightened tension with China, Russia and Pyongyang. The summit comes days before Lee travels to Washington for his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. In Japan, the outreach appears to have buoyed Ishiba politically; a Yomiuri poll published over the weekend showed his cabinet’s approval rate climbing 17 points to 39 percent, its sharpest gain since he took office.