Japan's Kishida on S. Korea trip, shuttle diplomacy

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he is arranging a trip to South Korea for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol at the end of the week. The trip is in return to Yoon's March visit to Tokyo, and it is expected to give a boost to deepening ties before the upcoming Group of Seven summit in Japan.

Kishida, in Ghana as part of his multi-nation trip to Africa and Singapore, told reporters that he hopes to exchange views with Yoon to speed up further improvement of bilateral ties and discuss regional and global issues.

Kishida will be a first Japanese leader to visit South Korea in five years since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the Pyeongchang Olympic in February, 2018. The two leaders are also expected to hold trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines.