Busan Summit Deepens Korea-Japan Ties and Shuttle Diplomacy

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met in the southern port city of Busan on Tuesday for a summit intended to deepen bilateral cooperation and institutionalize a pattern of high-level exchanges known as shuttle diplomacy. The two-day visit, arranged at Lee's invitation, came as Ishiba prepares to leave office when Japan's ruling party selects a new leader on October 4.

The leaders opened talks in the late afternoon and later attended a dinner and official receptions arranged by the presidential office. The summit marked the first time in 21 years that a Japanese prime minister has met a South Korean president outside Seoul, a departure officials said was intended to underscore a joint focus on balanced regional development. The meeting followed two encounters between Lee and Ishiba this year, in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit and in August in Tokyo.

South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said the agenda is expected to cover a broad range of areas, including demographic decline, regional revitalization, the operation of intergovernmental consultative bodies, and cooperation in future industries such as artificial...