A Japanese daily says Seoul and Tokyo are debating a possible state visit to Japan this year by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

The Mainichi Shimbun said Thursday that the consultations got underway after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan invited Lee for a state visit to Japan this fall when they met for summit talks last Sunday in Tokyo.

The paper added that Japan is also considering returning to Seoul the document Joseon Wangsil Uigwe in time for Lee’s visit. The Joseon Wangsil Uigwe are a record of royal ceremonies and rituals and are part of one-thousand-205 ancient Korean royal books Japan has promised to return to South Korea under an agreement reached last November.

If Lee Myung-bak makes the trip, it would be the first state visit to Japan by a South Korean President since former President Kim Dae-jung visited Tokyo in October 1998.