Japan has decided to support South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern city of Busan, a local media report said Sunday, as the voting for the mega event is set to take place this week.

The Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun said Tokyo has made the decision in consideration of President Yoon Suk Yeol's continued efforts to improve long-frayed ties between the two countries.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had reportedly notified his will to support Busan's expo bid during his meeting with Yoon held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi in September.

The report comes as South Korea is set to attend the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, the body in charge of overseeing the quadrennial event, in Paris on Tuesday, where 182 member states will be voting for a host among Busan, Riyadh and Rome.

It also comes as the top diplomats of South Korea, China and Japan were set to hold talks in Busan later in the day, with discussions on resuming the long-stalled summit of the three countries' leaders expected to be in focus. (Yonhap)