Japanese leader’s move to skip NATO summit reveals opening for Seoul-Tokyo ties



Analysis Japanese leader’s move to skip NATO summit reveals opening for Seoul-Tokyo ties Ishiba signaled respect to South Korea, but his uncertain political future highlights fragility of bilateral cooperation John LeeJune 25, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) meets with ROK President Lee Jae-myung during the sidelines of the G7 summit, June 18, 2025 \| Image: ROK Presidential Office Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to skip this week’s NATO summit, citing the absence of leaders from the bloc’s other Indo-Pacific partners South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, represented a rare example of deference to Seoul and potentially provides an opening to further strengthen ties. But this opportunity remains fragile and highly conditional due to Ishiba’s uncertain political fate ahead of Japan’s upcoming parliamentary elections, not to mention the domestic challenges facing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Any leadership change in Tokyo could end up undermining momentum toward strengthening bilateral ties to counter China and North Korea, underscoring just © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 02Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 03North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 04South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 05AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 06South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 07Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 08Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility

Analysis

Japanese leader’s move to skip NATO summit reveals opening for Seoul-Tokyo ties

Ishiba signaled respect to South Korea, but his uncertain political future highlights fragility of bilateral cooperation

John LeeJune 25, 2025

Japanese leader’s move to skip NATO summit reveals opening for Seoul-Tokyo ties

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) meets with ROK President Lee Jae-myung during the sidelines of the G7 summit, June 18, 2025 | Image: ROK Presidential Office

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to skip this week’s NATO summit, citing the absence of leaders from the bloc’s other Indo-Pacific partners South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, represented a rare example of deference to Seoul and potentially provides an opening to further strengthen ties.

But this opportunity remains fragile and highly conditional due to Ishiba’s uncertain political fate ahead of Japan’s upcoming parliamentary elections, not to mention the domestic challenges facing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Any leadership change in Tokyo could end up undermining momentum toward strengthening bilateral ties to counter China and North Korea, underscoring just

Japanese leader’s move to skip NATO summit reveals opening for Seoul-Tokyo ties

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John Lee