Prime Minister Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon have already met twice in person. Despite appealing for a strong Japan-South Korea relationship, the two leaders are still unstable.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol met on the 15th of this month in Peru, where he visited in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
This was the second time Ishiba had met with Yoon, following his meeting on the 10th of last month. With the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea coming up next year, this was an attempt to impress upon the public that Japan-South Korea relations are on a firm footing.
The ruling party lost its majority in 2016, leaving it with a weak base, and it is unclear whether it will be able to fully demonstrate its diplomatic power. President Yoon is also suffering from a low approval rating and is being criticized by the opposition party for being "pro-Japan."
When Ishiba was elected as the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party in the presidential election held in September, South Korean media reported him in a mostly positive light.
At the time, Ishiba said, "He has been known to have a dove-like view of history that is different from that of right-wing lawmakers within the LDP, and he has been vocal in his opposition to visiting Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class A war criminals from the Pacific War.
"Even when Korea-Japan relations deteriorated, he has shown a positive will to improve relations," he said, adding, "As a result, a major exchange of views between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Prime Minister Kishida has been held.
"The view is that the swiftly improving Korea-Japan relationship will not be aggravated due to historical issues between the two countries," the Dong-A Ilbo also reported.
"Mr. Ishiba, who was in conflict with the third-former prime minister and was a fringe figure, was seen as being relatively positive about Korea-Japan relations among the LDP's leading politicians," he said, before going on to say that Ms. Sanae Takaichi, who lost to Mr. Ishiba in the runoff vote for the party's presidential election, was also a vocal supporter of the LDP.
"Compared to Takaichi, who has a right-wing tendency and has openly declared her visit to Yasukuni Shrine, she is a moderate," he said. However, after the ruling party lost a majority in last month's House of Representatives election, the Korean media has expressed concern about the future of Japan-Korea relations.
At the time, articles expressing concern about the election were also becoming more prominent. KBS, which reported the election results, said, "Prime Minister Ishiba has taken a pro-South Korean stance on historical issues, and so he has been expected to take on a new role in South Korea since taking office.
However, with the ruling party losing a majority in the recent House of Representatives election for the first time in 15 years, and calls for Prime Minister Ishiba to take responsibility for the election coming to light, there are concerns that this could also be a negative factor in Korea-Japan relations.
"The relationship between Japan and South Korea has improved significantly since the time of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Yoon. Prime Minister Ishiba also wants to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, and on the 16th, he will
Since taking office, the second Japan-Korea summit meeting has already been held in Peru. At the start of the meeting, Ishiba said, "In light of the severe security environment, including recent actions by North Korea, we will continue to cooperate with Japan and South Korea, and with the United States and South Korea.
"It is important that we continue to strengthen our ties in a timely manner," Yoon said. "Now that close cooperation between Japan and South Korea is becoming increasingly important, these meetings have special meaning."
The two leaders shared "serious concerns" about North Korea's nuclear and missile development and its military cooperation with Russia, and said they would work closely together, including with the United States, to address the issue.
They also agreed to further advance the relationship into the future, with next year marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the ROK.
The meeting lasted about 50 minutes, longer than scheduled. After the meeting, Ishiba told reporters, "It was quite
"We were able to have an in-depth discussion," he said, emphasizing the outcome. As the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations approaches, he said, "I want to deepen discussions between our leaders in areas that go beyond security."
Ishiba wants to further develop Japan-Korea relations while also working to resolve the issues that still exist between the two countries, but the media in both countries are currently
There are also articles expressing concern about what will happen next. The Sankei Shimbun newspaper wrote, "The ruling party lost a majority in the Lower House election, leaving the Prime Minister's base weak, and the Yoon administration is also suffering from low approval ratings. This is a major obstacle for Japan-Korea relations, which will mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations next year.
The two leaders themselves are a destabilizing factor in the relationship. In addition to the Japan-Korea relationship, South Korea's Yonhap News also focused on the cooperation system between Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The U.S.-Japan cooperation system is also undergoing change with the change of administration in the U.S.," he said. "President Biden will strengthen the three-nation security framework of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, the four-nation cooperation framework of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India, the 'Quad', and the 'Quad'.
"However, it is unclear what changes will occur once President-elect Trump takes office in January next year."