President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba walk past South Korea's national flag as they met at a hotel in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday. (Yonhap)

VIENTIANE, Laos -- President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday held bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the sidelines of ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday.

In his first summit with the new Japanese Prime Minister, who took office nine days ago, the two leaders agreed to continue their "shuttle diplomacy" and to maintain active communication in preparation of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties next year.

“Following the former Prime Minister Kishida, I hope to continue developing Korea-Japan relations through active and close communication with you, including shuttle diplomacy,” Yoon told Ishiba. “Especially as 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, I hope we can present a bright vision for the future of our relationship, allowing our people to feel the leap forward in our bilateral ties.”

Yoon‘s Japanese counterpart also agreed with his suggestion to continue “shuttle diplomacy,” saying that “close cooperation between Japan and Korea is crucial for regional stability and peace.”

“I intend to build upon and further develop the significantly improved relationship between our two countries, as established by President Yoon and former Prime Minister Kishida,” he said.

The summit followed a phone call meeting between defense ministers of Seoul and Tokyo where the two discussed defense-related exchange earlier in the day.

Yoon met former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida 12 times from March 2023 until the end of his term.

Before Thursday's meeting, Yoon's office expected the meeting would signal a continued push for improved ties between South Korea and Japan through frequent meetings between the leaders, as well as trilateral ties between South Korea, Japan and the US, as Seoul and Tokyo sought to further develop bilateral ties that were long strained by historical and territorial disputes.