A stage, two leaders on drums, a BTS song as a soundtrack and a simple but meaningful conclusion: music can unite more than an official communiqué. In Nara, amidst smiles and flicks of the baton, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi created a moment of diplomacy that goes beyond the usual protocol. A scene perhaps unexpected, but far from improvised, that tells a lot about how fast relations between Seoul and Tokyo are changing.

Diplomacy to the sound of music: Lee and Takaichi on drums

Seeing two heads of government engaged in a ‘jam session’ does not fit into the classic canon of bilateral summits. Yet, this is what made the meeting between Lee Jae-myung and Sanae Takaichi different, memorable and politically relevant. At the end of the first day of talks, the two leaders sat behind drums to play together iconic contemporary K-pop songs, from Dynamite by BTS to Golden, the soundtrack of an animated film celebrating the Korean pop aesthetic.

A simple skit? Far from it. Music here functioned as a shared language, capable of overcoming historical and political barriers that, for decades, have complicated the relationship between South Korea and Japan. The choice of K-pop was not dictated by chance: it is a direct homage to South Korean soft power, but also an implicit acknowledgement of Seoul’s cultural centrality in the Asian landscape.

Takaichi, with a background as a drummer in a heavy metal band during his high school years, showed ease and control. Lee, more awkward but visibly involved, accepted the game with great enthusiasm. A difference in style that, paradoxically, reinforced the message: you don’t need perfect performances to build confidence, you just have to share the same rhythm.

An informal but by no means superficial meeting

Behind the relaxed atmosphere, the political content remained solid. The talks touched on topics central to both countries: economic security, regional stability, technological cooperation and coordination on increasingly complex global dossiers. In an East Asia riddled with ever-increasing tensions, with the rifts between Beijing and the Philippines at sea, the Chinese threats towards Taiwan and above all the Sino-American front, the rapprochement between Seoul and Tokyo assumes a fundamental strategic value.

The informality of the jam accompanied a day of intense work, as if to signal that personal trust can facilitate even the most delicate understandings. This is not a minor or obvious detail: relations between South Korea and Japan are historically marked by deep wounds, from the colonial period to disputes over historical memory. Building a climate of normality and cooperation also requires symbolic gestures that can speak to public opinion.

Sanae Takaichi and Japan’s changing diplomacy

The figure of Sanae Takaichi is central to understanding this new course. The Japanese premier has gradually redefined the style of Japanese diplomacy, traditionally prudent and rigidly protocol-oriented. Public performances, spontaneous gestures, direct contact with foreign leaders: all of this contributes to projecting the image of a more self-confident, less ‘plastered’ Japan, also ready to use culture as a political tool.

The drum session is part of this strategy. It is not mere folklore, but communication. Takaichi seems to want to demonstrate that regional stability also comes from the ability to make bilateral relations more human, less distant. An approach that Lee clearly appreciated.

Lee Jae-myung and the language of détente

For his part, Lee Jae-myung has once again shown a penchant for a visual, empathetic diplomacy, also designed for domestic and regional audiences. He is no stranger to gestures that break the ceremonial, such as the selfie with Xi Jinping or other informal moments artfully constructed to convey political messages of great détente.

In this case, the drums become a narrative tool: Seoul presents itself as an open interlocutor, capable of dialogue with Tokyo without renouncing its own cultural identity. It is a subtle but powerful message, especially at a time when South Korea is trying to balance its relationship with China without compromising relations with Japan and the United States. In short, ability with the tool or not, what matters is balance.

K-pop as shared soft power

K-pop, often seen as an exclusively South Korean expression, becomes common, indeed fertile, ground here. Playing it together means recognising its cultural value, but also accepting that contemporary Asia increasingly speaks through pop, immediate, global languages. The decision to broadcast the video on institutional social channels reinforces this message: diplomacy today also passes through YouTube.

And woe betide anyone who calls it mere social entertainment. It is a form of influence, a demonstration that the two countries can rewrite their common narrative from what unites, not just what divides.

Beyond music, a relationship under construction

In Nara, music certainly does not automatically resolve historical issues or erase strategic differences. But it marks an important step forward. Japan and South Korea now seem much more aware of the need to cooperate in an unstable regional context, where dialogue is as much an asset as deterrence. The drum lesson between Lee and Takaichi is an effective metaphor: finding the right tempo, listening to the other, keeping the common rhythm without losing one’s own voice. If this is the new diplomacy in Asia, then it is worth listening carefully to every sound.