It opened a very special period of relations between the two neighboring countries in Northeast Asia thanks to the very unique diplomatic style of Ms. Takaichi and Mr. Lee Jae Myung.
Unlike their predecessors in Japan and South Korea, Ms. Takaichi and Mr. Lee Jae Myung both just came to power in the two countries but quickly built a very reliable personal relationship despite differences in political ideology.
In the political spectrum, Ms. Takaichi was on the right wing, conservative and nationalist, while Mr. Lee Jae Myung belonged to the centrist - liberal faction. The special respect for each other was shown in the fact that Ms. Takaichi welcomed Mr. Lee Jae Myung in her homeland and Mr. Lee Jae Myung was similar.
The "Homeland Diplomacy" form was intentionally used by the two people along with the introduction of traditional culture to create a highlight for the foreign affairs event to send a message of goodwill and determination to reconcile and overcome the long-standing historical obstacles between Korea and Japan.
The two are aware that just two Korea-Japan summits cannot properly handle the common historical past, so now they can only not let those obstacles hinder the creation of new decisive changes in bilateral relations.
Ensuring energy security and the supply chain of rare earths, precious metals as well as dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs or unfavorable decisions from outside are topics with widespread consensus between Mr. Lee Jae Myung and Ms. Takaichi.
These two people are also truly on the same boat with the ambitious idea of building relations between Japan and South Korea into a power and influence axis in Northeast Asia in particular and in the Indo-Pacific region in general.
Neighbors join forces to help each side become stronger and if the two sides are linked, it is difficult for the outside world to divide them, and both sides have more advantages in handling each other's relations with other countries.
Neighbors joining forces like that will help South Korea and Japan limit the level of vulnerability from external partners.
Historically, the relationship between South Korea and Japan has been mixed with ups and downs quite erratically because it depends on the specific people in power in the two countries. With Ms. Takaichi heading the Japanese government and Mr. Lee Jae Myung in the position of President of South Korea, for the first time, there is political determination on both sides to build sustainable stability in this aspect, that is, to ensure that bilateral cooperation does not regress or stagnate whenever there is a change in national leadership personnel on one side or the other.
These two people also created a very unique and useful foreign affairs situation when Ms. Takaichi showed toughness while Mr. Lee Jae Myung was moderate with China and the South Korean President was not as close to US President Donald Trump as the Japanese Prime Minister. It seems that the new people are together opening a new era for the relationship between the two neighbors.
