The presidential office has expressed hope that South Korea and Japan will continue to maintain positive ties despite Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation.

The top office issued the statement on Monday, a day after Ishiba expressed his intent to step down in a televised press conference at his official residence. 

The presidential office said it is closely monitoring developments regarding Ishiba’s resignation, but that commenting directly would be inappropriate as it is a domestic political matter in Japan. 

The office, however, added that Seoul and Tokyo share a broad consensus on the development of stable, future-oriented bilateral relations.

Ishiba has long shown a conciliatory stance on relations with South Korea. 

President Lee Jae Myung visited Japan late last month ahead of his visit to the U.S. and held a summit with Ishiba, where both leaders agreed to work toward a future-oriented cooperative partnership between the two countries.