China News Service, June 6. According to Kyodo News, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering attending the NATO summit to be held in Madrid, Spain, from June 29 to 30.
Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
According to reports, the NATO summit invited Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, four countries in the Asia-Pacific region to participate, and leaders of the four countries are likely to attend.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said in early May that he was discussing matters related to the invitation of South Korean President Yoon Seok-wook to the NATO summit.
Data map: South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue.
Kyodo News reported that a number of Japanese government officials revealed that the South Korean government has inquired about the possibility of holding a summit between Japan and South Korea during the meeting.
Whether Yoon Seok-yue, who just took office as South Korean president in May, can hold the first face-to-face meeting with Kishida Fumio has become the focus of attention.
The last time the leaders of Japan and South Korea met face-to-face was in December 2019, when then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with then South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Earlier in March, Fumio Kishida and Yin Xiyue held a telephone conversation and reached a consensus on improving relations between South Korea and Japan.
In addition, the Japanese side recently claimed that the South Korean side was conducting a marine survey near the disputed islands between Japan and South Korea, and lodged a strong protest.
The South Korean side made it clear that the relevant activities are in line with international law, and it is "unacceptable" for the Japanese side to protest.