On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee met Ishiba at the premier's residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral ties between the East Asia neighbours, including closer security coordination with the United States under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.

Trump elaborated later Monday that he was referring to raids on churches and on a U.S. military base by the new South Korean government, which they “probably shouldn't have done,” the president argued.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has held his first full summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo.