“We have seen continued pro-Japan submissive diplomacy and a desperation to erase history” under Yoon, the DPK’s parliamentary leader, Park Chan-dae, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.

“On the one hand, the pro-Japan faction is gaining power, while on the other, Dokdo is disappearing, which can hardly be dismissed as a coincidence.”

“The relationship is much more positive, although it is clear that some in South Korea, such as the opposition, feel that Yoon has tacked too much to the Japanese and US positions,” he told This Week in Asia. However, Nagy believes Yoon remains “pretty firm in his mindset”.

“He does not care about what the public thinks because his actions are motivated by what he thinks is in the best interests of South Korea,” he said. “The opposition will use this and there will be pushback, but Yoon knows he only has a single term in office, and he is using that to cement and institutionalise this relationship for the good of the country.”

Not all analysts are as optimistic about the prospects for a final Kishida-Yoon meeting. Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Tokyo, expressed less confidence in the leaders’ ability to “pull it off” due to criticism of the plan in South Korea and the apparent reluctance of the Japanese government to officially comment on the proposed summit.

Hinata-Yamaguchi suggested it would be beneficial for Tokyo to reaffirm that the bilateral and trilateral agreements were progressing and that steps towards these goals would continue even after Kishida’s departure, in order to lay the foundations for his successor.

“It’s likely that South Korea is a little concerned about who the next Japanese prime minister is going to be, so this will provide more reassurance that Kishida wants continuity,” he said.

Ultimately, Hinata-Yamaguchi viewed the potential meeting as largely a messaging exercise, intended to convey that relations between the two countries are improving.

Nagy said Kishida, who has little left to lose politically given the limited time remaining in his leadership, may be hoping the meeting will help cement his legacy. But resistance from the South Korean opposition party was to be expected, he said.

In his assessment, South Korea’s opposition could potentially disrupt collaborative efforts between Seoul and its Japanese and American allies in areas such as defence, trade and semiconductors.

“Yoon is doing what he firmly believes is in the best interest of the country, but if the opposition can derail Kishida’s visit and delegitimise the Yoon government, then that creates a cascade of problems,” he warned.