UPDATE - Japanese premier makes 1st contact with new South Korean president

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, CHANGES LEAD

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke by phone with South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae-myung on Monday to discuss bilateral relations, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

It was the first contact between the two leaders since Lee took office on Wednesday.

During the 25-minute conversation, the two sides agreed to deal with "geopolitical crises" under the framework of trilateral cooperation with the US, South Korea's presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.

They also reaffirmed the importance of bilateral ties between the two neighbors and expressed hope to meet in person at an early date.

"Lee expressed hope that the two countries would work together to explore mutually beneficial approaches to addressing future challenges from the perspective of their shared national interests," Seoul-based Yonhap News quoted Kang.

Ishiba, for his part, sought Lee's cooperation in addressing challenges posed by North Korea, including Pyongyang's "abduction" of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Tokyo.

Following the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two nations later this month, the two leaders agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges and enhance communication between their governments.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the possibility of their first face-to-face meeting at the G7 huddle beginning Sunday in Canada, with Ishiba emphasizing the importance of dialogue and cooperation as "partners" in addressing global challenges.

Japan is a G7 member, whereas Lee has accepted Canada's invitation to participate in the multilateral huddle.

Despite obstacles stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, ties between Tokyo and Seoul significantly improved under the administration of Lee's predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his aborted martial law attempt in December.

*Writing by Aamir Latif