Ishiba Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan. Yonhap News,
Regarding President Lee Jae-myung’s first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba before Chinese President Xi Jinping after his inauguration, Japanese media reported on the 10th that this move suggests a continued emphasis on prioritizing South Korea-Japan relations.
Yomiuri Shimbun, the largest conservative daily newspaper, reported that President Lee and Prime Minister Ishiba, during their first phone call that lasted about 25 minutes the previous day, agreed to further strengthen Korea-Japan relations.
The newspaper noted that President Lee spoke with Prime Minister Ishiba as the second foreign leader after U.S. President Donald Trump, emphasizing that despite his past remarks against strengthening ties with Japan, he showed a stance prioritizing relations with Japan, continuing from the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.
A senior official from the Japanese Foreign Ministry also commented on the order of President Lee’s phone calls, describing it as an “easily understandable, positive signal” in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun.
The Japanese government and media have been particularly interested in whether President Lee would call Xi or Ishiba first, in reference to former President Moon Jae-in, who had phone conversations with the leaders of the US, China, and Japan in that order shortly after taking office.
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