Japan’s foreign minister is set to travel to South Korea to strengthen security collaboration

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is set to visit South Korea on Monday to strengthen security collaboration between the two East Asian nations and their shared ally, the United States, in response to China‘s increasing influence in the region. This visit marks the first time in seven years that a Japanese foreign minister has traveled to Seoul. During his trip, Iwaya will engage in discussions with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Acting President Choi Sang-mok, as confirmed by the Japanese government.

Iwaya’s objective is to reaffirm the significance of bilateral relations and to ensure ongoing coordination on policies, particularly regarding North Korea, in light of the current strategic landscape, as stated in a press release. However, enhancing trilateral security cooperation may face challenges due to the political instability in South Korea following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The upcoming transition to a second Trump administration on January 20 also means that none of the original leaders who established the trilateral security cooperation agreement in 2023—U.S. President Joe Biden, Yoon, and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida—will remain in office.

“The trilateral will move forward; the real question is whether it will thrive,” remarked U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel during a press conference in Tokyo before his return to the United States. He emphasized that nurturing and developing this cooperation will require significant effort. Meanwhile, President Yoon has been secluded in his hillside residence in Seoul since parliament voted to impeach and suspend him last month due to his brief martial law decree issued on December 3.

Investigators have been prevented from apprehending him by the presidential security service and military guards. Iwaya’s upcoming visit follows a meeting last week between the South Korean foreign minister and outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who voiced “serious concerns” regarding certain actions taken by Yoon during his martial law declaration.

The day after, Iwaya met with Blinken in Tokyo. Following his time in South Korea, Iwaya will head to the Philippines to discuss matters of security and economic collaboration, and he will also visit Palau to attend the second inauguration of President Surangel Whipp before returning to Japan.