Lee, Takaichi forge energy front as Hormuz crisis bears down

Seoul-Tokyo ties accelerated Tuesday as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to deepen energy and supply chain cooperation under shared pressure from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Lee and Takaichi met in Lee’s hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in a reciprocal trip following Lee’s visit to Takaichi’s home region of Nara Prefecture in mid-January.

The two-day visit marked the first exchange of hometown visits between s