South Korean President Lee to visit Japan for summit with Ishiba, Seoul says

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By Heejin Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will visit Japan between August 23-24 and hold a summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Lee's office said at a briefing on Wednesday.

The leaders will discuss ways to improve regional peace and boost trilateral cooperation with Washington, Kang Yoo-jung, Lee's spokesperson, told reporters. Kang did not specify the date of the summit during Lee's two-day visit.

Lee has in the past been critical of efforts by administrations in Seoul to improve ties with Tokyo, though when he met Ishiba for their first summit on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Canada in June they vowed to deepen the relationship.

Ties between the U.S. allies have often been strained, rooted in historical disputes stemming from Japan's colonial rule over the Korean peninsula from 1910-1945.

Their second summit meeting will also take place as the Asian economic powerhouses grapple with the implications of U.S. tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lee's trip to Japan comes just ahead of his visit to the U.S., where he is scheduled to hold a summit with Trump on August 25.

(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)

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