Ahead of his first official trip to Japan on Saturday, President Lee Jae Myung expressed hope that it will serve as a stepping stone for building stronger, future-oriented cooperation between the two countries.

In a joint written interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun dailies published just before his depature Saturday, Lee said he plans to hold a frank exchange of views with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on ways to deepen collaboration across various fields.

Lee also hoped to formulate a new joint declaration on bilateral ties with Ishiba, one that would be an upgrade from the 1998 declaration made between then-President Kim Dae-jung and his Japanese counterpart, Keizo Obuchi.

Lee noted that Seoul and Tokyo can become strong partners not only in strengthening bilateral cooperation, but also within a trilateral framework with the U.S. amid global crises, as well as in tackling low birth rates, aging populations, and overcrowdedness in capital cities.
 
The president pledged to expand exchanges between the two governments following the resumption of "shuttle diplomacy," and vowed to actively use bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral channels to address the rapidly changing global trade environment.