South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, left, plays drums with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi following a summit in Nara, Japan, Jan. 13, 2026, in an image shared on social media by Lee. Lee Jae-myung/X

The leaders of Japan and South Korea have shown an unusual level of harmony, banging out a drum set duet to K-pop hits during a summit on Tuesday. The leaders, whose nations have had tense relations in the past, agreed to deepen cooperation between letting loose for the surprise cultural exchange.

The musical performance by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung followed a summit in Japan's ancient capital of Nara, which is Takaichi's hometown.

Wearing personalized athletic jackets, they sat side by side and drummed to hits including the South Korean K-pop band BTS' "Dynamite" and Kpop Demon Hunters' "Golden." A short video of the performance was posted on the official Instagram account of Takaichi's office on Wednesday.

The jam session was a surprise by Takaichi, a longtime heavy metal fan and an avid drummer in her college days, for her South Korean counterpart.

"Playing the drums has been my longtime dream," Lee said on X, thanking Takaichi for her hospitality in arranging the jam session.

"Like we respected our differences and harmonized our rhythms, I hope that Korea and Japan would deepen cooperation and move closer to each other step by step," Lee said, admitting that the gig was perhaps, "a little clumsy," on his part.

"When we met at APEC last year, [Lee] said it was his dream to play the drums, so we prepared a surprise," Takaichi said later in a social media post.

Takaichi, a conservative politician whose credentials as a motorcycle enthusiast and heavy metal fan lent an extra layer of intrigue to her appointment as Japan's first-ever female prime minister, commended drum set novice Lee, calling him a fast learner for picking up the rhythm in just a few minutes.

"In order to develop Japan-South Korea relations in a forward-looking way and stably, we will continue our close communication between the two governments including by proactively carrying out our 'shuttle diplomacy,'" Takaichi said in a message on X.

The rhythmic diplomatic overture appeared to go down well with some social media users in both countries, which have maintained relations despite lingering animosity over Japan's actions as a former imperial power and some territorial disputes.

"Music seems to have the power to connect hearts at a deeper level than words ever could," a Korean user posted on X about the drumming video, according to CBS News' partner network BBC News. "Exchanges like this may be quiet, but they will surely help move relations between Korea and Japan forward."

"Just seeing them actually playing drums together — not just posing — looks like they are having so much fun, and that's what matters most," a Japanese X user wrote. "Both Korea and Japan are facing tough situations, but if we can meet each other halfway, I truly believe things will move in a positive direction."

South Korea and Japan are both important allies of the United States, for both defense and economic purposes.

Both nations host massive U.S. military bases and troop deployments, and they've pledged to work closely with Washington to balance China's rising influence on world affairs, and to counter the regional threats of North Korea and Beijing's determination to take control of Taiwan.

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