Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Saturday for summit talks that will likely focus on common security and economic challenges while building on the recent thaw in bilateral ties.

Lee's selection of Japan before the United States as the destination of his first overseas trip for a bilateral meeting bodes well for the Asian neighbors, which have been seeking to improve relations despite difficulties stemming from their wartime past.

Keeping the momentum going for bilateral cooperation and promoting people-to-people exchanges, including via a working holiday program, are priorities for the two nations as this year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their ties in 1965.

It is the first time since the normalization of ties that a South Korean president has chosen Japan as the destination for a first bilateral overseas trip, a sign that Lee is placing greater importance on the Asian neighbor.

"Developing stable relations brings benefits not only to Japan and South Korea but also to the broader region," Ishiba told Lee at the outset of the meeting at the prime minister's office, which was open to the media.

The second face-to-face meeting for Ishiba and Lee, who became president in June, comes as Japan and South Korea face similar issues, ranging from North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's rise to declining birthrates at home.

Tokyo and Seoul, both key U.S. allies in Asia, also share the challenge of trying to deepen cooperation with Washington over security while addressing the economic threats of higher import tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Just as in personal relationships, relations between countries also require elements that can help manage conflicts and supplement each other," Lee said.

At a time when the global order has been shaken by trade and security issues, now is the time for South Korea and Japan to work together, Lee said.

Lee's visit to Japan is part of efforts to maintain close communication through regular reciprocal trips by the leaders, which the two nations call"shuttle diplomacy." After a hiatus when bilateral ties cooled, they resumed under the predecessors of Ishiba and Lee.

Despite the upbeat mood and the leaders' recent push to steadily develop ties, attention is on whether Lee will raise wartime history in his meeting with Ishiba.

The South Korean president, a liberal who had once taken a firm stance on Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula, has since softened his rhetoric and adopted a more pragmatic approach.

The issue of compensation for Korean conscripted wartime laborers in Japan and Korean"comfort women," who were forced to work at Japanese military brothels, has cast a shadow over bilateral ties.

Lee's visit comes at a historically sensitive time for both countries.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule on Aug. 15, Lee urged Japan to"squarely" face up to the "long and fraught" history the two nations share.

That same day, Ishiba said Japan should engrave in people's hearts its"remorse" over and lessons from World War II, using the wording for the first time in over a decade at a memorial event.

Ishiba and Lee met for the first time for a summit in June on the fringes of the Group of Seven leaders' meeting in Canada.

Lee is scheduled to travel from Japan to the United States for a summit with Trump, where the two are expected to discuss the tariff issue.