Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting South Korea on March 20 for talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol, as part of reciprocal visits by leaders of the two countries, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

Combined photo shows Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Kyodo)

As bilateral relations improve, Kishida and Yoon may jointly watch the opening baseball game in South Korea on the same day between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team to which two-way star Shohei Ohtani belongs, and the San Diego Padres, the source said.

If realized, Kishida would be visiting Seoul for the first time since May 2023, two months after Yoon proposed a solution to a long-standing wartime labor compensation dispute that had exacerbated tensions between Japan and South Korea.

The Padres in Major League Baseball have Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui on their roster of players.


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