Japan, S.Korea to hold summit meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will be meeting with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak in Seoul on Wednesday.

The 2 leaders will likely confirm efforts to strengthen future bilateral ties and ease long-strained relations.

Noda is also expected to hand over to Lee a set of ancient Korean books. They include archives of royal protocol from the country's Joseon Dynasty that have been kept in Japan.

It's believed that Noda will invite Lee to visit Japan as soon as possible in a bid to continue high-level talks between the 2 countries.

Noda will also likely urge South Korea to resume negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement. The proposed free trade pact has been suspended for 7 years.

The two-day visit will include discussion on ways the 2 countries and the United States can resolve North Korea's nuclear program and abduction issues.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 04:05 +0900 (JST)