South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Tokyo on Aug. 23 for his first bilateral summit since taking office, meeting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba before heading to Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump two days later. The itinerary marks the first time a South Korean leader has chosen Japan over the United States as an inaugural overseas destination, underscoring Lee’s bid to reset relations with Tokyo during the 60th anniversary year of diplomatic normalization. In an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, Lee pledged to honour agreements reached by previous administrations on compensation for former ‘comfort women’ and wartime labourers, arguing that Seoul has a “responsibility” to maintain international commitments. He said policy consistency was vital to building a ‘relationship of trust’ with Japan after years of friction under earlier governments. Japanese and South Korean officials say the Tokyo summit is expected to broaden economic and people-to-people links, including an expansion of the working-holiday visa program and joint discussions on demographic challenges. The leaders will also affirm closer coordination on North Korea and pursue deeper trilateral cooperation with the United States. Diplomatic activity around the trip is widening. Seoul will dispatch a special delegation to China from Aug. 24-27, and the two countries’ defence chiefs plan to meet in Seoul on Sept. 8. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is arranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the Aug. 25 Trump–Lee summit, where U.S. troop funding and China policy are expected to dominate.