South Korea is watching closely as Japan prepares for a political shift following the election of Sanae Takaichi as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), paving the way for her to become the country’s next prime minister, The Korea Times says.

Takaichi, known for her right of centre leanings on historical and territorial matters, has long taken a hardline stance on Japan’s wartime past and the disputed Dokdo islets as they are known in Korean – Takeshima in Japanese - which are currently administered by South Korea but claimed by Japan. Her rise to power has fuelled concerns in Seoul that recent progress in bilateral ties could stall or even regress.

The former internal affairs minister has also previously criticised expressions of remorse over Japan’s colonial rule of Korea between 1910 and 1945, and defended her visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan’s war dead, including several convicted war criminals, are commemorated. According to The Korea Times, analysts in Seoul fear that her premiership could see a return to a more nationalist tone in Tokyo’s diplomacy.

Even so, there are signs that Takaichi may seek to temper her rhetoric. Japanese media have reported that she is considering forgoing a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine during this autumn’s festival in what would be a move that would mark a departure from her previous insistence on attending as a lawmaker.

Observers also believe that despite ideological tensions, both Seoul and Tokyo have incentives to maintain momentum in their security and economic cooperation, particularly within the trilateral framework with the United States. Recent reciprocal visits between President Lee Jae Myung and outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan underscored an effort to institutionalise dialogue and avoid diplomatic backsliding.

The continuation of local and ministerial exchanges has been viewed in Seoul as a sign that the administration is committed to preventing historical disputes from derailing broader strategic cooperation.

President Lee and Prime Minister Takaichi are expected to hold their first bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju at the end of October in a bid to see whether the discussions will serve as an early test of whether the fragile links across the Sea of Japan can be sustained under Japan’s first female PM.