Tokyo. Japanese and South Korean leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries — then capped the talks with an unexpected cultural moment, drumming together to K-pop hits in a surprise jam session.

The performance by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung followed Tuesday’s summit in Japan’s ancient capital of Nara, also Takaichi’s hometown.

Wearing personalized athletic jackets, the two leaders sat side by side and played drums to songs including BTS’ “Dynamite” and K-Pop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” in a short video posted by Takaichi’s office on Wednesday.

The jam session was arranged as a surprise by Takaichi, a heavy metal fan who played drums during her college years.

“Playing the drums has been my longtime dream,” Lee wrote on X, thanking Takaichi for her hospitality and for organizing the session.

“Just as we respected our differences and harmonized our rhythms, I hope Korea and Japan can deepen cooperation and move closer step by step,” he added.

In the video, Takaichi praised Lee as a quick learner, saying he picked up the basics of drumming in just a few minutes.

“To develop Japan–South Korea relations in a forward-looking and stable manner, we will continue close communication between our governments, including by proactively carrying out our ‘shuttle diplomacy,’” Takaichi said in a separate post on X.

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