Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in South Korea on Sunday for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kishida, the first Japanese leader to make a bilateral visit to Seoul in 12 years, started his two-day visit to South Korea with a visit to Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul.

He laid flowers and paid respects to Korea's war veterans, along with his wife Yuko Kishida, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara, Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi and Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk-min.

It marks the first visit to the cemetery by an incumbent Japanese prime minister since former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in October 2011.

Regarding the visit to the cemetery, a Japanese government official reportedly said on Saturday that it is natural for the head of a country to visit a memorial place and express respect for the lives of many people related to the country's history.