South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Tokyo on 23 August for a two-day summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, marking his first overseas trip since taking office in June. The visit signals a thaw in relations that had sunk to what both sides once called their post-war low. It is the first time in the 60 years of normalized ties that a South Korean leader has chosen Japan over the United States as an inaugural foreign destination, underscoring Lee’s stated intent to pursue “practical diplomacy” and rebuild trust with Tokyo. Ahead of the trip, Lee told Japanese media that earlier accords on wartime forced labor and former sex-slave issues "cannot be overturned," emphasizing policy continuity. Officials say the leaders will revive so-called shuttle diplomacy, sign agreements covering trade facilitation, youth and security exchanges, and launch a new dialogue on demographic challenges such as declining birthrates and aging populations. The working-holiday visa scheme is to be expanded, allowing citizens of each country to apply twice instead of once. The talks will also address North Korea’s weapons program and broader regional security at a time when U.S. alliances in Asia are in flux. Lee leaves Tokyo on 24 August and is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on 25 August, where the allies plan to discuss "alliance modernization" and tariffs recently reduced to 15 percent on South Korean exports.