On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee will meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the premier's residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral ties, including closer security cooperation with the United States under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.

Barely two months into office, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung faces a pivotal foreign policy test, heading into back-to-back summits in Tokyo and Washington that reflect the wider struggle of U.

Washington’s increasing focus on Beijing is straining the decades-old alliance between South Korea and the United States.