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Japan's new premier calls Korea an 'important neighbor' in first policy speech

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 16:44 Updated: 24 Oct. 2025, 16:46

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a policy speech at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 24. [EPA/YONHAP]

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Korea an “important neighbor to Japan" in her first policy speech before the National Diet on Friday, pledging to seek stronger bilateral ties through dialogue between the two nations’ leaders.

In her address to the extraordinary Diet session, Takaichi said Japan would “strengthen cooperation with countries that share fundamental values and with nations in the Global South.”

Regarding Tokyo’s alliance with Washington, Takaichi described the Japan-U.S. alliance as “the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy.” She said she would build a relationship of trust with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to visit Japan next week, to elevate bilateral relations.

Takaichi also said Japan would deepen multilateral security coordination through frameworks such as the Japan-U.S.-Korea, Japan-U.S.-Philippines, and Japan-U.S.-Australia-India partnerships.

On China, Takaichi said it was “an important neighboring country with which Japan must build a constructive and stable relationship,” while acknowledging that “security and economic security concerns do exist” between the two nations. She added that she would pursue “a comprehensive, strategically reciprocal relationship through candid dialogue between the two leaders.”

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21. [AP/YONHAP]

Her remarks came as Japanese media reported Friday that Takaichi is arranging a phone call with Trump ahead of his visit to Japan next Monday. According to Kyodo News, the call is being coordinated for around Saturday, which would mark the first phone conversation between the leaders since Takaichi took office earlier this week.

Kyodo reported that the two are expected to discuss China’s growing assertiveness and North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches.

The timing of the call is somewhat later than under previous administrations — former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba both spoke with the U.S. president the day after taking office.

During the call, Takaichi is expected to emphasize the importance of strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to Japanese reports.

Japan is now preparing for Trump’s first visit to the country since starting his second term in office. Trump is scheduled to hold a summit with Takaichi on Tuesday, along with a meeting with Emperor Naruhito, a visit to the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base, and a meeting with families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea. Takaichi is expected to join Trump during the Yokosuka base tour.

Trump will also meet Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his visit. The meeting is being arranged for Tuesday at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tokyo, according to reports.

Akie Abe recently visited Taiwan and said that her late husband, who supported Takaichi’s political rise, “would be cheering for Prime Minister Takaichi from heaven,” Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYUN-YE, KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]